Finding Your Path
by Ano-chan
Summary: "You are weak, to think that you could change who you are. You've been on this path too long, it's time you accepted that..." Sequel to Path of Revenge
1. Chapter 1

Here we go, the beginning of another story, please enjoy, and I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

"Oh! Is it Chris?" the question rang out about the woods as the companion traveling in front of her let out a weary sigh.

"Once more, the answer is no, now stop trying to guess my name," answered the leader of the duo, a young boy with unruly black hair, dressed in worn traveling clothes with an old backpack over one shoulder. A Houndoom silently walked next to him.

"I'll stop guessing if you just tell me," his traveling companion replied, a girl about his age, also dressed in simple clothing, her dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was constantly glancing off of the path, trying to absorb all of the sights around her, "Oh! What about Red?" she exclaimed suddenly, shifting her gaze to glare at the back of the boy's head.

"Red?" the boy asked, "who would be named a color?" he let out another sigh.

"I don't know, it just seemed to fit," the girl offered, once more turning to look at the amazing scenery, "so when are we getting to Garnet?

"If you quit asking questions, I would guess the end of the day," he replied coldly, focusing on the path ahead. The girl let out a sigh of her own and a silence fell between the both of them. Then, glancing around the boy, the girl spied someone heading towards them, the Pokéballs on his belt identifying him as a trainer. She hurried toward the new trainer, eager to talk with this new traveler.

"Hello," she greeted cheerfully, "could you tell us how close we are to Garnet?" he pointedly ignored her, continuing on the path.

"She asked you a question," the boy said, grabbing the trainer by the shoulder, his Houndoom letting out a low growl.

"Listen, I don't have time to help out every person who can't-" the trainer cut off as he glanced upward to look at the boy's face, "I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't realize…you're very close, j-just a few turns and you should be able to see the town," he stammered out, quickly slipping out of the boy's grasp. He hurried away from the duo, obviously trying to put as much distance between as possible.

"What was that about?" asked the girl, obviously confused.

"No idea," replied the boy, "now come Tori, you heard him, we're almost there," nodding, Tori fell in step behind him, and they continued down the path. Turning around a bend, the trees began to thin out and in the distance they were able to spy the city of Garnet. Tori was astounded at the pristine beauty the city showed. They're were several buildings in the town, each one situated to accentuate different parts of the town, mainly the different fields of flowers set around the town, flowers of all type and color, flowing silently in the gentle wind. Then, in the center of the town, a great building that dwarfed all else.

"Wow!" exclaimed Tori, "a real Pokémon Gym!" she turned to the boy to see his reaction.

"Nothing special," he said, shrugging, "now come on, lets go to the Pokécenter, you're supposed to call your parents," he turned and began heading into town. Nodding, Tori quickly followed.

As they walked the streets, Tori couldn't stop from glancing at everything around her, at him hometown, Sienna, the only thing to look at was the towering Storm Mountain, but here, it was almost as if everything begged to be seen. A huge smile on her face, Tori turned from the environment to wave and greet the citizens of the town. They began to smile back, yet, as they drew closer, their eyes fell upon the boy leading her, and they quickly turned, pretending to be interested in something else. Turning to ask the boy something, she realized she was in front of the Pokécenter, and he had already gone inside. Quickly hurrying inside, she found him at the front desk talking to the Nurse Joy.

"We need your phone, where is it?" he asked, glaring at the nurse.

"It's r-right over there sir," she stammered, pointing to the side, obviously unsettled by him, as he turned away she quickly hurried away to a back room.

"Come on, you can call your parents," he said, seeing Tori approach and began walking towards the phone. Before he walked a few steps Tori stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Wait, can I ask you something?" the question was hesitant, unsure, "have you been here before?" the boy simply closed his eyes, as if trying to uncover a long buried memory.

"Maybe, no idea," he replied simply, opening his eyes, "does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" she exclaimed, "and how can you not remember visiting somewhere?"

"You…know how I used to be…" he replied, sounding almost ashamed, "I didn't care for anything…the days, weeks…they all blended together. Now come on, it doesn't matter…" Tori nodded, her first memory of him was still strong. He had wandered into her village, alone, and fought one of the villagers, easily defeating, then immediately burned his home to ground. Now though… he was…different, something Tori knew that for a fact. She began to head towards the phone when she heard the Pokécenter front door open.

"You…" the voice was soft and amazed, yet it was impossible to miss the deep loathing that single word carried. The speaker was a young girl, dressed in a simple green skirt with a yellow shirt. Her green hair fell past her neck and a yellow flower was tucked into one ear. She would have been very pretty, if her face hadn't been contorted in anger.

"Hello, have we met?" the boy asked, his Houndoom growling quietly next to him. The newcomer's face blanked, obviously surprised, then quickly filled with anger.

"You don't even remember?" she questioned, walking closer to him, her bare feet rubbing against the cool linoleum, "how could you forget?" as she drew closer, Houndoom's growl grew louder. Quickly, Tori stepped between them.

"Wait, please! If he says he doesn't know, then he doesn't," she tried to explain, "who are you? And why do you know him?" her question seemed to reach the girl, and she backed off slightly. Watching them, she stood straight and tall, appearing almost regal.

"That boy," she began, put as much anger and spite into the second word as possible, "came through here a few weeks ago. He could have passed through with no incident…but he couldn't bear to do something so simple. He went through town, belittling us, mocking everything about us, calling us weak and foolish for living like we do, in harmony with all around us. A few trainers tried to stand up to him…but be defeated them all in a moment…" she trailed off into silence.

"Were you…one of the trainers?" Tori asked hesitantly.

"No," the girl replied sternly, her eyes flashing, "I am Lisa, the Gym Leader of Garnet. The trainers came to me asking for help, so I challenged him. I was…defeated…so, in accordance with the rules, I offered him the badge as proof of his victory. He refused to take it, saying, 'a reward from a weakling is worthless.' He threw the badge into the dirt and left here," finished, Lisa glared past Tori directly at the boy.

"I have nothing to say," he replied with a shrug, "you lost, nothing you say or do can change that," he left and sat down at a bench, his Houndoom immediately following.

"But, I can challenge you," Lisa declared, following him, "and I will do so. I will see you at the gym tomorrow, or I'll know you ran," with that, Lisa left the two of them. Slowly, Tori walked over and sat next to the boy on the bench.

"Uh…" she began hesitantly, "why…did you do all that? Insult the people here, then humiliate the Gym Leader?"

"I told you, I don't remember," he replied, looking away from her. Tori could tell he wanted to avoid it, and she knew better then to press him for an answer.

"What about the battle tomorrow? Are you going to go?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I am not going to run if that's what you mean," he responded, "you, go and call your parents…I need to take a walk," he quickly stood up, his Houndoom beside him, leaving Tori behind at the Pokécenter. Tori sat alone, unsure of what to do, before finally standing up and hurrying after him. As she got outside she looked around for him, finally, she spied him heading towards the outskirts of town. Hurrying, she was able to catch up and ended up walking slightly behind him.

"Don't want to talk to your parents?" he asked, not even turning around.

"That can wait," she replied smoothly, "I just…felt like going on a walk too…I won't talk or anything," the boy merely shrugged at the explanation, but didn't say anything, so Tori simply continued following, staying silent.

Following behind him, Tori didn't focus on her surroundings, but rather on what he did. It was…odd. He seemed to be looking at parts of the village. He would stop at something, a building, a patch of flowers, or simply walking by in the street. He would stop and simply watch them, and them shake his head, as if to clear it, before continuing onward. Eventually, they had reached the outskirts of town. Stopping at the top of a hill, the boy sat down, facing the town. Houndoom stopped as well, resting it's head in it's trainer's lap. Seeing nothing else to do, Tori sat next to him, watching the sun set slowly over Garnet.

"I've never told you of my home…have I…" he asked suddenly.

"No, I guess not," she replied slowly, not knowing where this was going.

"This place…Garnet, is so similar…" he began, "the people, the homes, even the flower. I remember a little of when I first came here. I saw all these people, living like I used to, they were so happy, I couldn't stand it. How could they deserve to be happy, after what happened to me? It wasn't fair. I…lashed out, trying to…I don't know, but it was…wrong," he fell silent, still staring over the town.

"Yes, it was," Tori agreed, nodding her head, "but, it's like you told Lisa, nothing you do or say can change it. But now you're back, and you can try to make up for it."

"I already told you I'm not going to forfeit," he reminded.

"I know just…don't humiliate her like you did last time," Tori offered.

"Sounds like you don't think I'll lose," he observed.

"Will you?" she asked, a touch of humor in her voice.

"No," he replied, fully serious, "now come on, let's go back to the Pokécenter, we can rest there till tomorrow." He stood up, heading back into town, Houndoom loyally following.

"Yeah," agreed Tori, following him as well.

* * *

Morning finally came, and as Tori opened her eyes, she saw that the boy was already awake. He was sitting at the edge of the bed he'd slept in, absentmindedly petting his Houndoom.

"Good, you're awake, let's go, Lisa's probably waiting," he told her.

"Right, just let me change first," she asked. The boy nodded, quickly leaving the room. Forcing herself out of bed, Tori quickly pulled on an outfit; a simple pair of blue jeans with a red shirt. She also decided to let her hair flow free rather than tie it into a ponytail. Finished dressing, she left the room and found the boy waiting in the lobby of the Pokécenter. He looked at her, nodded, and then headed outside.

Once more walking behind him and his Houndoom, Tori was surprised to see that a crowd had already begun to form around the gym. All it took was a look for the crowd to part, allowing them through. Passing by the people, Tori caught a few snippets of conversation.

"Do you think he's going to win?"

"He won in just a few seconds last time…"

"But Lisa's been training non-stop…"

Finally, they were clear, they stood before the massive doors leading into the gym. Without any hesitation, the boy pushed them open, heading inside. Tori couldn't help opening her eyes in wonder at the gym. Around the walls were massive trees, their branches interlocking above them to form a massive, living, roof. A smooth field of grass covered the rest of the floor, and in the middle, Lisa was waiting, her arms crossed across her chest. The boy didn't say a single word, simply walking forward to stand across from Lisa, Houndoom at his side. Tori didn't follow, staying behind in order to watch.

"You came, though I can't say I thought you would run," Lisa observed, "the battle will be two on two, good enough for you?"

"Agreed," he replied simply.

"Very well, go, Vileplume, Victreebel!" she released two Pokéballs, the light forming a small blue Pokémon with giant flower perched on it's head and an angry looking Pokémon shaped like a bell, four sharp teeth surrounding it's mouth.

"I choose you, Scyther, Banette," the powerful mantis Pokémon, the blades on it's arms held at it's side, appeared next to a black, cackling, doll-like Pokémon. Houndoom quietly moved to stand next to Tori, "your move," he offered to Lisa.

"Fine," she replied, scowling, "Vileplume! Sleep Powder, quiet that cackling ghost!" Vileplume jumped forward, a spray of particles landing on the surprised ghost. Banette's eyes closed and it fell to the grassy floor.

"Good! Now, Victreebel, razor leaf!" Victreebel jumped forward, ready to attack.

"Not so fast, Banette, Sucker punch," Banette swiftly leapt from the ground, slamming into it's unprepared opponent, "good, now Scyther, Wing Attack!" The wings on Scyther's back began to glow, and it rushed at Victreebel, slamming into it and sending it flying backwards. Victreebel hastily pulled itself back up while Scyther moved back to stand next to the cackling Banette.

"What? But it was asleep!" exclaimed Lisa, clearly frustrated.

"Not quite, insomnia, that ability prevents Banette from falling asleep, it simply pretended with you used the attack," the boy explained simply, "ready to continue?"

"Of course!" Lisa replied, "Victreebel, wrap, and Vileplume, get ready!" instantly leaping to attention, Victreebel shot out two vines, which wrapped tightly around Scyther's body, locking it's arms to it's sides. The boy simply observed, turning his gaze to Lisa's Vileplume.

"Banette, Shadow Ball, right at Vileplume. And Scyther…relax," Scyther simply closed it eyes; it's body relaxing in the grip of the vines. At the same time, Banette charged a ball of dark energy and fired it towards Vileplume.

"Victreebel! Intercept!" Lisa shouted quickly. Vileplume shifted it vines, placing Scyther in the path of the attack. The ball blasted into Scyther's limp body, it winced in obvious pain, "now Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Victreebel moved Scyther again, revealing Vileplume, the flower on it's head gleaming with energy. The glow focused and fired in a burst of power, slamming into the unsuspecting Banette. The ghost Pokémon was blasted backwards, slamming into the ground. It managed to pull itself up, but only just, another move would quickly finish it.

Tori watched in shock, the boy seemed to have the battle under control, but the gym leader had quickly turned the battle around, Scyther was trapped, and Banette was severely weakened. Gym leaders were a class above regular trainers. Yet, the boy remained, silently calculating the situation.

"Scyther, Air Slash," he commanded. Snapping it's eyes open, Scyther tensed it's body and suddenly, a powerful blade of air shot out from it body, slashing the vines to ribbons and slamming directly into Victreebel, putting it out of the fight. Free of it's bonds, Scyther turned it's gaze to Vileplume.

"Vileplume, hold it off with-" Lisa began, an edge of worry in her voice.

"Too slow," the boy cut her off, "X-Scissor!" Scyther charged forward with amazing speed from the Agility it had used when trapped. It slashed both blades down at Vileplume, dealing a powerful blow that sent Vileplume crashing to the floor. Lisa simply stared in shock.

"Finish it with Shadow Sneak Banette," forcing itself up, Banette stood still, seemingly doing nothing, but as Tori focused she saw that wasn't true. Banette's shadow was extending itself across the ground till it reached Vileplume. The shadow seemed to raise itself off of the ground and slashed into Vileplume. Having enough, Vileplume collapsed, unconscious. The fight was over.

The boy nodded at each of his Pokémon, congratulating them, before returning them to their Pokéballs. He moved up to Lisa, who had returned her own Pokémon, and stared at her, waiting for a response.

"So, you beat me again," she said, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a shining green badge, shaped like a sharp thorn, "do you wish to go outside to humiliate me, or is in here good enough for you?" the boy grabbed the badge, holding it in front of her eyes to observe it.

"Thank you," he said, Lisa started, this was that last thing she had expected to hear, "I'm not going to humiliate you. You've gotten stronger since last time, and you gave me an enjoyable battle," with those last words, he turned and left Lisa in stunned silence. Passing Tori, he headed back outside, and with one last backward glance at Lisa, Tori followed, Houndoom close behind.

The crowd was still waiting outside, but when they saw the badge the boy displayed above his head, they all quickly cleared away; there was nothing else to see. The group headed through town, obvious intent on leaving.

"So…" started Tori, "what are we going to do now?"

"Keep moving," the boy answered simply, "what else is there?"

"Are you going to challenge the rest of the gyms?" Tori slid the question in. As the boy opened his mouth the reply, a shout carried over to them.

"Hey! Don't you dare think this is over!" turning, they saw that it was Lisa who was yelling at them, it looked like she had ran from the gym, "we're gonna have another rematch someday, and I will beat you!"

"Looking forward to it!" the boy shouted back, and, staring at the silhouette of the Gym Leader, Tori could swear she saw a small smile on Lisa's face. But it vanished as she turned and headed back to town. Walking behind the boy and his Houndoom, Tori was amazed at all that had happened in two days, she had gone to a new town, seen a gym battle, and it all ended well! This adventured seemed to be starting out perfectly.

"Did you ever call your parents?" the boy's question interrupted her thoughts.

Well…almost perfect.

* * *

Wee! This took awhile, hope anyone who reads enjoys it, please R&R, especially if you have any thoughts on what will happen next!


	2. Chapter 2

Wee! Finally got this chapter finished. I really hope you like it, cause I don't. Don't own the wonderful thing that is Pokémon.

* * *

"Wow…" it was all Tori could manage while observing the view before her.

"Jet," The trainer said simply, gazing down at the city, his Houndoom standing quietly next to him. It was one of the main cities of the region, and while Garnet had also been a city, it was ridiculous to try and compare the two. Garnet had been a collection of a few homes, it's gym being the only real attraction, but Jet, Jet was much more than that. It was a city of constant movement; people would never stay in one spot for more than a few moments, always hurrying somewhere, always having something to do. In the center of the town were two massive buildings, the Pokémart that stood several stories high, and next to it was a massive dome shaped building, the town's Gym.

"Be sure you don't get caught up in the flow," the trainer advised, watching the hustle and bustle of the people.

"Wait, have you been here before?" Tori asked, suspicious, "is there another mortal enemy of yours here too?"

"…no," he answered after a moment of thinking, "just heard about it, now lets go, you still need to call your parents," with that he grabbed onto her hand so as to not lose her among the flow of the crowds. He made no attempt to be courteous as he wound his way through the crowd, pushing aside anyone foolish enough to suddenly stop in front of him. Houndoom seemed to enjoy the flow of people, happily diving and weaving between pairs of legs. Tori, behind the trainer, could not take her gaze off of her hand held tightly in his; he had a powerful grip, yet, his hand was surprisingly smooth. Continuing to stare, Tori didn't even notice that the trainer had stopped in front of the Pokécenter. He released his grip, bringing Tori out of her stupor.

"I'll go see if we can use the phone," he said to himself, but Tori quickly grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"Wait, I think I had better ask," she explained to him meekly, ducking her head to avoid his eyes.

"Why?" he asked, eyes narrowed in a confused look.

"Uh…you tend to…sort of…scare people," she admitted meekly. The trainer replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you are kind of intimidating, you never seem to ask for something, you just sort of demand it," she explained, still trying to avoid looking at him.

"Alright," he finally replied. Nodding happily, Tori headed through the automatic doors, the trainer and his Houndoom walking quietly in behind her.

"Hello!" she greeted the Nurse Joy happily, "do you think I could use your phone?"

"Of course!" Joy replied, her voice full of cheer, "I just need to know where you're calling."

"Oh, Sienna, I just want to let my parents know I'm doing okay," Tori replied easily.

"Sienna!" Joy exclaimed, "my sister works there, I hope she likes it there, I've heard that town doesn't have many trainers."

"Oh she seems to be doing fine," Tori said, "so where's the phone?"

"Oh, just right over there," Joy pointed out. Tori walked over to the phone as the trainer sat down in front of the reception desk. Seeing his Houndoom and the Pokéballs attached to his belt, the nurse spoke up.

"Oh, are you a trainer? Do your Pokémon need any healing?" she asked. Looking up at her, the trainer simply shook his head, but Houndoom, interested in the new person, headed behind the counter to greet them. Smiling to herself, Joy reached down to scratch the top of Houndoom's head. The Pokémon closed it's eyes in pleasure.

"Well, you've obviously trained them well, this one seems very friendly, are you going to challenge the gym here?" Joy questioned good naturedly, continuing to pet the Pokémon.

"Possibly. Who is the Gym Leader here?" the trainer asked in return.

"Fawkes, he's a master of flying Pokémon. Have you beaten any other Gym Leaders?"

"Yes," he replied, pulling the thorn shaped badge from his packet. Even in the bland lighting of the Pokécenter it seemed to glitter, "Lisa, in Garnet."

"Wow, are you going to challenge the league then?" Joy asked, she only received a confused gaze from the trainer. Realizing he had no idea what she was referring to, Nurse Joy explained.

"Once you've defeated all eight gym leaders, you can use the badges to gain admission to a tournament, allowing you to battle against some of the most powerful trainers in the world. If you've won you're recognized as the greatest trainer in the region. It's what almost every trainer dreams of, I'm surprised you don't know of it," as she was explaining, Tori had finished her phone call and had returned. She stood still, enamored at the images of powerful trainers battling in the great tournament, determined to win, willing to do anything to win. She turned to see what the trainer thought, but his face, as always, was emotionally blank.

"Hmm," he muttered to himself, "thank you, let's go," he abruptly stood up, Houndoom immediately left Nurse Joy's side, following the trainer back outside. Bowing her head and thanking Joy, Tori quickly followed.

"So what did you think?" Tori asked once she had caught up.

"About what?" he asked, looking among the crowds of people, trying to find the right path to take.

"The Pokémon League! Don't you think it'd be amazing to go and win that? To be seen as the best trainer?"

"No, not really," he replied easily, finding a gap in the crowd and squeezing through, ending up on the other side of the street with Tori.

"What?" she replied, completely confused, "but you'd be known everywhere! You'd be admired, you'd be-"

"Alone," the trainer interrupted, not missing a stride in his step.

"Wh-what do you mean? Everyone would want to meet you, to know you…" Tori didn't know what to say, finally, the trainer stopped and turned to face her, his gray eyes staring deep into hers.

"To be the best means to beat everyone beneath you, just doing that will cause many people to resent you. And not just the trainers, their friends and maybe their families, angry at you for taking away their chance to win. People will constantly challenge you, wanting to prove themselves, and those that don't hate you will only want to be around you in order to makes themselves look better, all they want is your fame. Surrounded by people, you would be alone, I get enough of that on my own," with that, he turned away, leaving Tori stunned. Every time she thought she understood something, the trainer would turn that perception upside down. Traveling with him was truly…interesting. Realizing she had fallen behind, Tori ran and caught up with him.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. The trainer seemed to have some idea for the direction they were headed, but Tori was in the dark.

"The gym, I want to meet it's leader," he explained. Tori was confused by this, it seemed rather hypocritical after the speech he had just made, and she said as much.

"I'm not going to enter the league, but that doesn't mean I don't want to battle. Battles with gym leaders are…fun," he finished awkwardly, the last word coming out like something he was unused to hearing, much less speaking. Deciding to accept his explanation, Tori followed him silence.

* * *

They both saw the gym before they had reached it, it was almost impossible to miss the powerful dome shaped building as it rose up in front of them. What did surprise them were the two people in front of the gym in heated conversation. One was a young man, a few years older than Tori or the trainer. He had dark brown hair, cut close to his head, and every feature on his face seemed to be angular and pointed, making him constantly look angry. He was dressed in loose fitting blue clothing, obviously allowing easy movement.

The man he was talking to was a very different story. He was many years older than Tori or the trainer; the black hair on his head was flecked with many gray hairs. He stood at least a foot above either of them, and his face was easy and calm, even when obviously trying to reason with the boy in front of him.

"Look," the older man said, "here come some trainers now," the older one said, pointing to the approaching duo.

"What does it matter?" the younger boy argued, "they'll probably pull out an electric type and finish the fight before it can start. Trainers don't even care about tactics; they figure all they need is a type advantage to win any fight," he crossed his arms in a huff and glared and glared at the trainer, silently judging him.

"Well maybe this one will be different, give him a chance," the older man smiled, gesturing for Tori and the trainer to come closer.

"So, you're Fawkes," the trainer guessed, talking to the younger boy.

"Yeah, I'm the Gym Leader here, and you want to challenge me and be the best trainer ever and blah blah blah," he mimed a talking face with his empty hand, "come on, we might as well go inside, make the fight official," he quickly headed inside the gym, leaving the three others outside. The older man merely continued smiling.

"Lets not keep him waiting then," he calmly headed inside, followed by the trainer, Houndoom, and Tori. Tori couldn't help but be amazed as she entered another gym. It was obvious that each gym was modeled after it's owner type. The inside resembled a wide empty field of glowing grass, and the ceiling wasn't a bland boring gray, it had been colored to resemble the outside sky on a perfect day. Tori had trouble convincing herself that she was actually inside a building.

"Go ahead," Fawkes called from the center of the field, "call out your electric type or your rock type," he was obviously bored, wanting this fight to be over soon. The trainer paused a moment in consideration, before finally grabbing a Pokéball.

"Sorry Houndoom, but you're have to sit this one out," Houndoom seemed to nod it's head, understanding, "go…Scyther," with a flash of light from the ball, the bladed armed mantis Pokémon appeared, crouched in a battle ready position.

"A bug type against a flying type?" Fawkes asked, intrigued by this turn of events.

"I'm going to give you a fair fight, that's all," the trainer explained, shrugging, "come, let's battle," Fawkes grinned, a grin full of joy and determination, determination to win.

"Let's show them how it's done, Xatu!" a green bird Pokémon appeared, it's arms crossed in front of it's chest. It stared forward peacefully, a picture of tranquility.

"Scyther, power up with Swords Dance!" Scyther crossed it's arms across it's chest and the blades began to glow with a powerful white light.

"Xatu, go on the defensive, Tailwind," Xatu unfolded it's wings, and with a burst of wind, it shot up into the open air. Tori, back near the entrance with the older man and Houndoom, watched, confused.

"He hasn't even attacked yet…why is Fawkes running?" she said to herself.

"He's not," the man answered, "you haven't seen him fight before, just wait…" he kept his eyes into the air, obviously waiting for something.

"Scyther, follow it. Knock it out of the air with slash," wings buzzing furiously, Scyther went into the air after Xatu. Xatu, seeing it's approaching opponent, stopped. It seemed to be waiting for Scyther. The trainer didn't see what was coming before it was too late.

"Me First!" Fawkes shouted just before the attack connected. Xatu ducked under the blade and slammed it's beak into Scyther's exposed chest. Scyther let out a powerful yell of pain before falling away from Xatu, catching itself before it crashed into the ground.

"See," the man explained to Tori, "Me First counters any attack, but only if the user is faster, that's what Tailwind was used for at the beginning, to give Xatu a boost of speed," he was obviously enjoying the fight, wondering how the trainer was going to fight back. The trainer was obviously wondering the same thing. Scyther was mainly used for attack, with that taken away, it had lost most of it moves. Tori couldn't help but clench her hands together; she wanted the trainer to win.

"Scyther, Vacuum Wave, but hold it back!" the trainer yelled. Scyther held it's arms above it's head then began spinning, gathering the air around it like a miniature tornado.

"Vacuum Wave…that a fighting type, what's that going to do…" the man muttered to himself, now unsure of what was happening. However, Scyther didn't release the attack, and as the vacuum began to build Fawkes saw what was happening. Xatu was being drawn towards the massive tornado!

"Xatu, get out of there! Tailwind!" Xatu tried to flee, but it was too late, the vacuum was too strong.

"No extra speed for you! Scyther, Night Slash!" releasing the vacuum, Scyther flew towards it's unprepared opponent, a purple glow surrounding it's blades. The blow collided solidly, almost sending Xatu crashing into one of the outside walls, but it wasn't out yet.

The two Pokémon glared at each other, each one heavily damaged. Fawkes let out a loud laugh.

"Looks like we're on our last legs, what do you say to one final attack?" he called over to the trainer, a grin covering his face.

"Sounds fine to me, are you ready Scyther?" the trainer called, Scyther nodded, it was eager to end this fight, "then, finish it with X-Scissor!" charging forward, Scyther crossed it's arms in an X shape, preparing the attack.

"Xatu, blast it with Psychic!" the bird-Pokémon focused it's eyes on it's approaching opponent. As it's eyes began glowing, a blue aura surrounded Scyther, and it began to slow down, being held back by Xatu's will.

"Scyther, fight it, come on!" the trainer urged. Closing it's eyes, Scyther focused, then quickly snapped it's head up, shattering the aura of psychic power. Freed, it flew the last feet forward, slashing into Xatu with it's powerful attack. The last attack was enough, and Xatu fell to the ground, Scyther quickly following, it's energy expended. With a flash of light, Xatu was called back to it's Pokéball. The trainer headed over to Scyther as it landed gently on the ground.

"Good job, you deserve a rest," with that he returned his Pokémon. He turned to Fawkes to see his reaction.

"Hah!" Fawkes laughed, "now that was a good fight! Congratulations! You deserve this badge!" Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a white badge shaped into a ruffled feather. He tossed it to the trainer, who caught it and admired it in the light of the gym.

"Thank you," the trainer said, nodding at the Gym Leader. Suddenly, a clapping sound began echoing through the gym. Turning, they saw that the older man was clapping, a huge smile on his face.

"Both of you deserve congratulations, that was a magnificent battle!" he stopped as Tori shyly tapped his shoulder.

"Um, not to be rude sir, but you never introduced yourself," she told him, her voice meek.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Aaron, the seventh Gym Leader, good to meet all of you," he nodded at Tori and the trainer.

"Wow!" Tori replied, amazed. The trainer simply stared at him, sizing him up as a future opponent.

"I guess we'll be seeing more of each other then," the trainer acknowledged.

"Indeed," Aaron accepted, "I'm looking forward to our battle. Now then, I'm afraid I have to go, since Fawkes has his old fighting spirit back, my job here is done," nodding again, he headed out of the gym.

"I think we should go too," the trainer said, slipping his new badge in his pocket to join the first, "you ready Tori?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied happily, before leaving, the trainer turned back to face Fawkes.

"Thank you again for the fight," he thanked, Fawkes merely shook his head.

"No, thank you, I needed a fight like that, good luck on your journey," Tori bowed at the leader and headed outside behind the trainer with Houndoom.

* * *

At the outskirts of town, Tori could hardly keep herself from skipping with joy. Everything was going so well, it was all working out perfectly! The trainer was of a different mood. He knew that things like this never worked out well for long. He could almost sense the storm clouds on the horizon. Things were going to change…

* * *

So there you have it, next chapter won't be so happy, back to the angst! Mua ha ha ha! Oh, and uh, please R&R.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, chapter finally finished...and I don;t think it's as good as I thought it would be...well, read and decide for yourself. Don't own Pokemon.

* * *

Tori crossed her arms over her head, a futile attempt to stop the rain that had already soaked through her jacket. The trainer didn't even seem to notice, he walked the same as before, always looking ahead with his Houndoom at his side. Tori had been looking forward to another sunny day, but without warning, a wave of dark clouds rolled in, releasing a torrent of rain down upon them.

"How much farther?" she called, her voice was almost inaudible next to the pounding of rain.

"No idea, but we can't exactly stop, unless you'd enjoy resting in a puddle," the trainer called back, shaking his head to try and clear some of the water dripping into his eyes. Tori, pouting as the rain continued to pummel them, followed behind the trainer, constantly trying to peer through the deluge of rain for a hint of the next town. She quickened her pace to walk next to the trainer, figuring she could talk to him to pass the time.

"So…is there a Gym in this next town?" she asked, it always seemefd so weird to be able to talk to him so…casually now, considering their first encounter.

"No, it's just a simple rest stop for trainers, I doubt we'll find anything to do there," he replied, huddling his arms closer to his chest in an attempt to conserve some warmth.

"I don't care if it's nothing more than a single house, I just hope it's warm!" Tori countered, rubbing her arms.

"Yet you were able to climb a mountain without complaining," Tori glared over at him, and was able to catch the hint of a smile on his face. It immediately faded back to his somber expression.

"I was actually prepared for that, I didn't know it rained like this when I left Sienna," she complained, a pout forming on her face. The duo fell into silence, their feet sinking into the ever-deepening mud with each step. As they continued forward, Tori found herself moving closer and closer to the trainer. She told herself it was merely for warmth, but when their shoulders were almost touching, she began to think maybe-

"There it is," the trainer announced, startling Tori. Lifting her head, she saw that the trainer's description had been correct. There were only a few houses; each one dark in the lonely night, the only defining the feature was the Pokécenter, a glimmer of light in the darkness.

"Great!" Tori exclaimed, "lets go before we drown out here!" she grabbed the trainer's arm, dragging him down the hill towards the small town. Slipping and sliding down the wet hill, they managed to come to a halt, shivering in front of the Pokécenter doors. Houndoom was the first inside, pushing past both of them as the door slid open for it. Tori and the trainer followed afterward, dripping and shivering at the reception area. Nurse Joy quickly spotted them, hurrying over with a pair of blankets.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, "you two must be freezing, what were you doing out in weather like this?"

"We walked here, from Jet," the trainer replied through chattering teeth.

"That far! Oh my, you must need rest, here, sit down and I'll see if I can find something warm for you to drink," she hurried them over to a set of chairs. They both wrapped the blankets around their shoulder as the settled into the soft chairs. Houndoom rested it head in the trainer's lap, who began petting it affectionately. Nurse Joy quickly returned carrying a tray with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. The trainer took one without looking up while Tori smiled and thanked the nurse as she used the mug to warm her hands.

"I haven't seen a storm this bad in a long time, hopefully it'll stop-" Nurse Joy observed, but quickly cut herself off.

"Stop what?" asked the trainer, the Nurse's manner had caught his interest.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about, just relax, I need to get back to work. I'll be back to check on both of you in a little while," with that, Nurse Joy hurried off again, heading through a door to the back of the Pokécenter. Seeing nothing else to do, Tori calmly blew on her hot coco, hesitating before taking her first sip. The trainer simply sat still, his hands wrapped around the warm mug. She opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by the sound of the Pokécenter door sliding open. A large group of people entered, it looked like they were all men, a few even reminded Tori of her dad, except for the extremely serious looks plastered over all of their faces. They were obviously using the Pokécenter as a meeting area.

"We can't go tonight," one of them announced, looking around suspiciously, his gaze falling on Tori and the trainer before returning to the rest of the group, "the trails probably under water, we're more likely to get ourselves lost than drive it away," he emphasized the word 'it' and the rest of the group nodded, seeming to understand what he meant. The trainer turned his gaze towards the group, obviously interested.

"I don't think this storm can last much longer," another in the group spoke up, "it should wear off by tomorrow morning."

"Good," replied the first, "then we can get it tomorrow night," the rest of the group nodded again, it was obvious that man was a leader to them. At this, the trainer stood up, the mug of coco still in his hands.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, not even attempting a subtle approach. The leader glared at him, and seemed about to push him to the side, but stopped when he looked into the trainer's eyes. Something in that stern gaze made him rethink his action.

"Just a nuisance," he replied, "something that won't leave us alone," the trainer frowned at this vague answer, but the man ignored him, nodding to the rest of the group and leading them back outside into the pouring rain. Sighing, the trainer went back and sat down next to Tori, finally deciding to take the first sip of his coco.

"So…what do you think that was all about?" Tori finally asked.

"Nothing good," replied the trainer, continuing to stare at the Pokécenter door. Suddenly, the door in the back opened and Nurse Joy rushed into the waiting area, a worried look on her face.

"What happened?" she asked, "I thought I heard something out here…"

"Um," Tori spoke up, "there were some men in here, a group of them, they said that they couldn't go tonight…do you know what that means?" she asked as Nurse Joy gave a sigh of relief.

"It's…" the nurse sighed again and sat down, "it's complicated. A few weeks ago, a traveler came through town. He seemed average enough, just a man looking for a place to rest. But…there's an abandoned cabin out in the woods around here, and there's always the rumor going around that it's haunted, people accepted the rumors and just left the cabin alone. But this man, once he heard the rumor, began to explain…that a terrible Pokémon was haunting the abandoned building. He said that such a creature wouldn't be content for long at such a remote place, that it would come to town, to terrorize us, to steal the souls of the children. They believed him…not at first, but with time, everyone became afraid. They're planning to attack first, to drive it away. I tried to stop them…but it's no use…I don't know what to do. I tried to call a larger town, get some police officers, but they won't send some officers because a group of people might attack an empty building. Thank goodness for the rain, it gives this town one more day of peace," the nurse leaned back in her chair, looking hopelessly tired. Tori stayed silent, unsure of how to reply.

"Where is the cabin?" the trainer asked, leaning forward, interested.

"About a mile north of here, in the woods," Joy stopped when she realized that she was talking to two kids, "you aren't planning on going there are you?"

"No," replied the trainer, "it's still raining," he gestured to a window where the rain was seen still pouring heavily. Joy sighed before composing herself and gazing sternly at the two.

"Listen, I don't want you two going out to try and stop this, it's heroic, but stupid. Those men are dangerous, they're a mob, and I don't want you two getting hurt," she kept her gaze on them but the trainer merely shrugged and stood up from his chair.

"I'm going to sleep," he muttered, heading to one of the resting rooms in the Pokécenter, Houndoom silently followed behind it's master. Nurse Joy followed them with her eyes then turned back to Tori.

"I'm not going to be able to stop him, am I?" asked the nurse.

"No," admitted Tori, "once he's set on something, you really can't pull him away from it. The best I can promise is that I'll try to keep him from doing anything too dangerous."

"Okay," replied Joy, still not sounding convinced, "but you should probably get some rest too, you've obviously had a long day. Nodding, Tori stood up, placing her cup of hot chocolate on a nearby table before walking over to an empty room. Closing the door behind her, Tori stripped off her still damp closes and managed to find some dry bedclothes in the bottom of her backpack. Crawling into the bed Tori began to wonder what the trainer was planning to do tomorrow. Did he think he was strong enough to fight off that group of men? Before she could devote any deep thought to the topic, the exhaustion of the day caught up to her and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Tori jumped awake as she heard the sharp sound of knocking at her door. Quickly pulling herself out of bead, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater before opening the door. The trainer, his arms crossed across his chest, greeted her.

"Come on, we're going," he told her.

"Where?" she asked, still groggy from just waking up.

"The cabin, I need to see if it's really haunted, lets go," nodding, Tori quickly went around the room, grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder before following the trainer and his Houndoom out the front of the Pokécenter. The sun had barely begun to rise over the Horizon and a thick fog hung above the ground. With the entire town silent, it was a very eerie setting.

They set forth on a path leading north from the village. At least, they hoped it was a path. Much of the dirt had been washed away by the storm last night and most of the time it seemed like they were constantly hiking through water. Eventually, they entered into a thick wood, the branches of every tree dripping with water. The fog here curled around each tree trunk like great thick coiling snakes made of smoke. Pushing onwards towards what they hoped was the right direction; they eventually spied a clearing in the distance. Hurrying forward they emerged into a calm clearing of grass, a simple log cabin sat in the center. The small grove was completely silent, all Tori could hear was her own breathing, it almost seemed otherworldly.

"Come on" said the trainer, breaking the silence. Hesitantly they walked up to the front door of the cabin and pushed on it. It opened without a sound and they slowly entered, cautiously looking around the empty room. Silently moving forward, the trainer reached for a door deeper into the home when Tori noticed something.

"Clean," she muttered to herself.

"What?" asked the trainer, hearing her whisper.

"Everything's clean here," she observed, and it was true. Not even a speck of dust was found on the floor of the cabin. The doors didn't even squeak on the hinges, it all seemed familiar, "why?" she whispered to herself, trying to remember. The trainer, seeing Tori was wrapped up in her own thoughts, pushed forward, opening the next door. But before he could fully open it, the door slammed shut, even as he tried to force it open. Shocked, Tori turned around, but the front door was still open, almost inviting them to leave, but the trainer was having none of it. With a grunt, he shoved the door open, continuing into an empty hallway. Houndoom led the way, it's eyes glancing around, constantly looking for threats. They continued walking; the sound of their footsteps echoing around them, then Tori felt something grab her hair and pull. She let out a scream and turned around, only to see an empty hallway.

"What happened?" the trainer asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Something…grabbed me," she replied, still looking around, "I'm starting to think that those rumors were true."

"Hmm…" mused the trainer, "lets not leave yet, I think we're almost at the back of the cabin," without waiting for a reply he continued forward. Almost at the end of the hallway, Tori started when she looked down at her feet. A thick fog seemed to be rising from the floor, and it almost felt as if it was wrapping around her ankles. Looking back up, she saw the trainer was staring intently at the end of the hallway; a pair of floating red eyes stared back at him.

"Get out," a disembodied voice whispered. The words seemed to sink into Tori's ears and float inside her skull.

"We should go," Tori pleaded to the trainer, but he shook his head, he was far too stubborn to let anything stop him from accomplishing what he set out to do. Pulling himself through the fog, he brushed passed the floating pair of eyes and grasped the handle of the door in the end of the hallway. Yanking it open, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in shock. Tori tried to see what he was looking at, she was able to see a glimpse of something black…it almost looked-

Her thoughts were shattered as an animalistic roar shook the building, before she could even move she was engulfed by darkness. She didn't have time to let out a scream before she found herself back in the woods surrounding the grove. The cabin sat calm and quiet, like nothing had happened. Glancing around, she saw the trainer and his Houndoom on the ground a ways away from her. Hurrying over to them she soon saw that they were both fine, merely shaken up a bit.

"I guess the house is haunted," she told the trainer, glancing quickly over to the peaceful looking cabin, "but…it only attacked us when we went inside…even then all it did was bring us outside, the man lied…whatever is in there, won't attack the town."

"Yes," agreed the trainer, "but that's only part of the story…come on, we're not done yet," he stood up, Houndoom quickly following.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked, slightly annoyed that he was moving ahead without explaining anything.

"Nurse Joy said that a man started the rumors that caused the mob, I don't think he left town," he explained.

"Why?" asked Tori.

"You don't start something like this and just leave, I think he waited around to see the result," he headed over to Houndoom, "lets go, we're going to find them," without looking back he charged into the woods, and Tori was forced to chase after him.

* * *

They had been running for what felt like hours, the sky above their heads slowly darkening as the sun set. Tori was out of breath and her sides ached, the trainer seemed to be in a similar position. While he tired not to show it, he would unconsciously clench his side in pain and stumble a few steps before continuing onward. What kept them moving forward was Houndoom; the Pokémon seemed to be getting close to…something. It kept dropping it's nose to the ground than looking up sharply, as if what it was searching for was merely moments away.

Suddenly, Houndoom leapt forward with a snarl, diving into a nearby bush. With a scream, a man fell out of the bush, stumbling to the ground. He was dressed in what had been fine looking clothes, but they had been ruined by the rain and mud. His mouse-like face stared up with absolute terror at the Pokémon resting on his chest.

"We've found him…" observed the trainer.

"Get this beast off of me!" pleaded the man.

"Answers first," replied the trainer, staring coldly down at him, "then…maybe you go free," the man merely responded with a weak whimper.

"You're the one aren't you?" Tori finally asked, "you're the one that caused the mob…"

"Yes," admitted the man, "I fooled a group of people with silly superstitions, so what?" he seemed to be regaining a bit of composure, despite Houndoom sitting on his chest.

"Why?" Tori asked, "What would you have to gain by doing all of this?"

"What else?" the man replied, barking out a harsh laugh, "Power. I saw you two enter that cabin, the Pokémon there teleported both of you out with no effort at all."

"Then why use the mob?" questioned the trainer, "capture it yourself."

"It's too strong, no chance against it in a fair fight, but the mob…the Pokémon won't attack them…they'll weaken it for us," he snapped his mouth shut; it was obvious he had said too much.

"Us?" questioned the trainer, stepping forward, his Houndoom growling louder in response.

"You won't get anything else out of me, besides, it doesn't matter, I've already won," a triumphant sneer filled his face.

"What do you mean?" asked Tori, worried.

"You took to long, the mob's probably at the cabin now, ready to burn it to the ground," he gestured up at the darkening sky, the sneer on his face growing wider, "now you could keep me here, or you could try and help that Pokémon out of your silly sense of righteousness," the trainer stared down at the helpless man, then with a sigh, nodded to Houndoom. Houndoom slinked off of his chest and the man jumped to his feet.

"Start running," warned the trainer. The man didn't wait around; he soon disappeared among the groups of trees.

"Let's go," he told Tori, and once more they were off, running through the forest, Houndoom leading them.

* * *

It didn't seem to take as long to return back to the cabin, but Tori was still worried. Would they arrive in time, or would they simply find a burned out husk, with the mob already gone.

So occupied with her thoughts, she didn't realize when they had arrived back at the cabin, which was sitting just as calmly as when they left.

"We made it," observed Tori. The trainer shook his head, breathing heavily from the long run. He motioned off into the woods and Tori could see a ground of light heading their way. Some of the light was obviously from flashlights, but other lights flickered and wavered like flame. With a shock, Tori realized they were torches.

"What are we going to do?" asked Tori.

"Stay back," the trained advised Tori, "I'll try to hold them off." As he left, Tori remmebered her promise to Nurse Joy and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, this is too dangerous, how are you going to hold off all of them?" she pleaded.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to stand here and wait, not when I can something to stop them.

He yanked his arm out of her hand and walked over to the front of the cabin, releasing all of his Pokéballs. Hitmonlee, Banette, and Scyther joined Houndoom in front of the cabin, a line of defense. Tori stood in the woods, watching as slowly, the mob began to flow out of the woods into the empty plain around the cabin. Seeing the trainer, one of the men stepped forward, Tori recognized him as the leader they met at the Pokécenter.

"What are you doing here kid?" he asked, his face looking very grim in the flickering torchlight.

"Stopping you," replied the trainer, his arms crossed over his chest.

"From protecting our families?" challenged the leader.

"From giving into idiotic superstitions," countered the trainer. The leader, in anger, stepped forward, and in response, the clearing seemed to grow darker. The cabin seemed to radiate a dark energy, and it seemed almost like it was growling. Rather than scare the men, it steeled them into thinking they were right.

"He's been bewitched!" announced the leader, and with that, the mob charged forward, intent on 'saving' the trainer. The first few were immediately sent scurrying back as Houndoom unleashed a flamethrower. The few that got past tried to sneak around, they were quickly cut off by Scyther and Hitmonlee. They fought off the men with a series of slashes and kicks, but that was a mistake.

All the pain did was make the men angry, and one grabbed a torch and threw it at the cabin. The torch sailed through the air and smashed through a window. Seeing him, the other members immediately copied him, throwing anything they could find at the trainer and his Pokémon. All they could do was shield their heads from the barrage of stones.

Soon, the trainer felt the heat of flames licking at his back, one of the torches had caught the cabin on fire. All that told him was that he was losing, and that couldn't happen. He charged forward into the mob, his Pokémon surrounding him, each one fighting with their all. But the fact was, he was one determined trainer, against over thirty determined man. The trainer was eventually grabbed, his arm shoved behind his back, but he still tried to fight, throwing a punch with his free arm at anyone who came too close. The man holding his other arm finally manged to slam his fist into the trainer's head, and he fell to the ground, dazed. His Pokémon, seeing their trainer captured, stood still, unsure of what to do. The trainer was helpless, the cabin behind him burning fiercely.

And all Tori could do was watch.

The men, thinking they were safe watch, stayed to watch the cabin burn to the ground. The flames slowly rose up the walls to the roof, and, almost with a sigh, the walls collapsed. But as the ashes and smoke settled, the men saw that one last part still stood. A small room in the back stood, unharmed, surrounded by a shield of dark energy. Angry, the mob began moving forward, and Tori noticed that some held axes in their hands, the wicked blades gleaming in the torchlight.

"Stop!" she screamed, running out of the woods to stand in front of the smoldering remains, a final barrier against the mob. The men seemed to hesitate, but kept moving forward, refusing to be stopped. Another man let a rock fly, and Tori didn't see it coming. It struck her just above her eyebrow, opening a gash. Seeing the blood pour down her face stopped the men.

"Please stop!" she pleaded, feeling the blood drip off of her chin. They simply stood and stared, unsure of what to do. Tori turned and looked at the last room of the cabin. Why had it been protected? She walked towards it, the cabin burning around her, but she felt no heat at all. She grasped the door handle and swung the door open. Inside…was simply a bedroom, an empty bedroom. Something drew her attention to the bed, and she saw a picture. Slowly picking it up, Tori saw a picture of a old man, smiling through a thick gray beard. Next to him was a large Pokémon, it's single red eye focused on the man. It was a Dusknoir, the grim reaper of Pokémon. That was the Pokémon guarding this home, guarding the home of it's only friend. She stepped out of the last room, and with a noise almost like a cry, the dark shield lifted, and the last room was destroyed. Feeling the shudder, Tori dropped her gaze to the ground, and let the lone picture drift away from her hand. It fluttered on a lone breeze towards the mob, and one curious man grabbed it out of the air. He looked at it for a moment, then brought his gaze back up and looked at where he was, really looked at it, without the anger and superstition that had brought him here.

He saw a sad girl, alone, in a circle of ashes.

Feeling tired, the man turned and walked away. Soon, another man joined him, then another, and eventually, all the men had left, none of them really knowing why.

The trainer pulled himself up from the dirt, and found himself surrounded by his Pokémon. Nodding to them, he returned them all to their Pokéballs, all except Houndoom. Slowly, he walked over to Tori, still standing in the ruins of the cabin. She was crying, her tears mixing with the ashes and blood on her face.

"It's not fair," she said, looking at the destruction around her, "it's just not fair…"

"The world isn't fair…" muttered the trainer, and grabbing her hand, he pulled her away, and they walked away, neither of them looking back. If they had, they may have noticed the shadow following them.

* * *

There it is, and I still don't think it's that good for some reason. So please R&R with any ideas, criticism, or random questions. Thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, finally got the chapter put up, I think it's very good, for once, I hope all my readers enjoy, yes, all two of you. ^^

* * *

Tori was…afraid.

They had been traveling through the woods for what seemed like days, yet it felt like they were going nowhere. The trees were still as thick as ever and through the narrow gaps of the branches Tori could see the dreary gray of storm clouds. Honestly though, that wasn't what scared her. They had been in situations like this before, and they had managed to push their way through, even when they were climbing Storm Mountain and the icy winds of a blizzard were constantly forcing them back. No, what scared her was the trainer.

Since leaving the last town, he hadn't spoken a single word. Tori could almost see the aura of gloom he was carrying. It even seemed to be affecting Houndoom. The Pokémon walked meekly next to it's trainer, it's head bowed low, almost scraping the ground. It really worried her, the few times she had tried to start a conversation with him, he had merely glared at her, forcing her back into silence. He was acting almost the same way he was when they first met. She could still hear the last words he had said before they had left town.

_"The world isn't fair,"_

The trainer had come so far from the angry, rash, stranger that had walked into Sienna. He'd been making connections with other people, it actually seemed like he was enjoying life, instead of merely forcing his way through it. But all of that had been brought crashing down. What would happen if he went back to the way he used to be? Would he simply leave her, and go off alone? Tori didn't know what she would do, could she make her way through this land, alone?

She lost her train of thought as the cut above her eyebrow throbbed. She brought her hand up to rub the cut, but stopped herself, rubbing it wasn't going to help it heal any faster. Tori sighed, no matter what she did, the cut was going to leave a scar. She'd often seen men at the restaurant back in Sienna bragging about scars they had, saying they represented amazing battles or something. What would this scar represent? That'd she'd been too weak to do anything while the trainer was beaten and forced into the dirt? She let another sigh escape her lips before dropping her gaze to the ground.

They continued walking, the only sound being their labored footsteps and slow easy breathing. As they were passing what Tori would swear was the same tree they had passed an hour ago, the trainer stopped in his tracks, glaring at a nearby set of bushes.

"What-" Tori began before the trainer help up his hand, stopping her. They continued to stare at the bush, and Tori began to be aware of some soft crunching noises, as if someone was walking towards them. Then a pair of hands pushed the leaves aside and revealed themselves to them.

It was Aaron.

"What are you two doing out here?" he asked after his look of surprise faded away.

"Um…we're lost," Tori replied after seeing that the trainer wasn't going to reply. He simply stared at Aaron, suspicion etched onto his face.

"I see that but," Aaron stopped as a rumbled of thunder echoed across the sky, "if we stay here we're going to end up in the middle of a storm, come on, follow me," he turned away and began heading off into the woods. Not wanting to be left behind, Tori followed, and, after a moment's hesitation, the trainer joined them with Houndoom.

* * *

After a small trek through the woods, Aaron led them to a small wooden cabin. They quickly rushed inside as the first drops of rain began to fall. Inside a cold fireplace and a set of furniture including a small dining table greeted them. Aaron quickly headed over to the fireplace and kindled a small fire. Seeing nothing else to do, Tori and the trainer sat down around the table. Steeping away from the fire, Aaron joined them.

"Now," he began, leaning forward, "I think it's time for an explanation," he stared at the duo, the only sound being the rain hitting the roof of the cabin.

"We told you, we we're lost," Tori replied meekly.

"Something tells me there's more to this story," Aaron said back, staring them down. Tori looked down at the table, unsure if she should tell him or not…

"We were trying to get away from a town full of idiots," the trainer spoke, startling Tori. His voice was low, obviously still resentful.

"Full of idiots…?" repeated Aaron, confused.

"The last town we went to, we…" Tori began, the memories still fresh in her mind. She could almost feel the flames from the cabin licking at her back, and the sharp sting of the rock hitting her forehead. Slowly, almost painfully, she dragged the story out and told it to Aaron. The Gym Leader simply sat still in silence, his eyes closed, obviously thinking.

"The man you found in the woods, did you happen to get his name?" Aaron finally asked.

"No," replied Tori, closing her eyes in order to focus on the memory, "but…it sounded like he wasn't working alone. He said 'us,' but wouldn't say anything else…" she fell silent.

"So…" Aaron mused to himself, "it sounds like they're getting bolder…" he stopped, realizing what he had just said, then sighed.

"Listen," he announced to both of them, "I'm going to tell you this, because I feel you need to know, and something tells me you'd find out on your own anyways," he stared down at them to assure himself that they were paying attention.

"A lot of people think the way we live is perfect, we live in harmony with nature and Pokémon," he began, and Tori couldn't help but picture him as a teacher about to start a boring lecture, "but there are a few who aren't content with it. They use anything within their grasp; Pokémon, people, all in order to gain power. People like that have come together to form a organization…I think that man you captured was a member."

"But…why?" asked Tori, "what's the point of gaining power, are they going to use it for something?"

"I don't know, I've been following them for years, and it seems all they want is power for power's sake, but…" he turned to the trainer, his eyes glinting with an idea, "you are a strong trainer, and I think I may need your help."

"With what?" the trainer asked, obviously interested.

"I think…I've found a small base for the organization, with your help I think we can take it out,"

"Why me?" asked the trainer, "why not ask another Gym leader, or just call the police?"

"I don't want to risk it. No one knows just how far this organization reaches. The entire organization is based on secrecy; bases can be demolished or hidden in a moment, and I doubt there is any information on the leader. If there is an informant in the police, or, I'm ashamed to admit, a gym leader is working with them, the entire plan could be ruined," he fell into silence, the only sound being the rain pounding on the outside of the cabin.

"Fine," the trainer agreed, "and just where is this base?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Close, very close actually," Aaron responded, "I only found it by chance. The entrance is hidden among a group of rocks, and the base is entirely underground, I was actually on my way before I ran into you two. I'd like to say we could wait till this storm is over, but we need to leave now," the trainer nodded and began to stand up. As Tori began to follow, however, Aaron shook his head.

"No, you need to stay here," he ordered.

"Why?" asked Tori, though she knew the answer was painfully obvious.

"You have no Pokémon to defend yourself. This organization is…cruel. They will not hesitate to attack. If you come along we'll be forced to protect you along with ourselves, you could be a danger to all of us," defeated, Tori slumped back in her chair, but the trainer shook his head.

"No…she should come," he said slowly.

"Are you sure?" questioned Aaron.

"She…won't get in the way," explained the trainer.

"Alright, if you're sure," replied Aaron, "but we need to leave now, come on." with that he stood up from the table, doused the fire, and headed out into the rain, he was followed immediately by the trainer and his Houndoom, Tori was right behind them, still trying to figure out why the trainer had wanted to bring her along.

* * *

They had charged through the downpour, Aaron leading them through the thick woods, Tori followed, rather irritated. She had been spending far too much time charging through woods towards the unknown. Finally, Aaron stopped and held up a hand for silence. Pushing his way through the underbrush, Aaron revealed the group of rocks he had mentioned earlier. Each boulder was at least the size of a Snorlax, if not larger. The boulders were arranged in what appeared to be a circle and were covered in a thick layer of green moss.

"Is this where the base-" Tori began, but Aaron cut her off, pointing ahead. Looking to where he was pointing Tori didn't see anything, but as she continued to stare she noticed something move slightly. Focusing, she realized there was a man there, sitting against one of the rocks. He appeared to be clothed in moss, allowing him to blend in so well. Tori looked back at Aaron who simply nodded, rain dripping down his face. He looked down at the ground, quickly grabbing a rock a little larger than his fist.

"Throw it as a distraction?" Tori ventured, making sure to keep her voice as low as possible. Aaron actually smiled at that. Drawing his arm back, Aaron chucked the rock forward. It sailed almost gracefully through the air, and then abruptly collided with a loud thud into the guard's head. He slumped over, unconscious. Aaron stood up, still smiling.

"You've watched too many movies, this way is much more effective," he left the cover of the trees, heading over to the unconscious guard. Patting him down, he pulled out a simple blue card.

"Keycard," he explained, "come on, the entrance is right around here," following Aaron out of the brush, they began to circle around the rocks. Spying an opening between the rocks the guard had been near, they headed towards it.

"But what if the guard wakes up?" asked Tori, "won't he alert the base then?"

"Don't worry," Aaron replied, holding up a small vial, "I waved this under his nose, it contains spores from Vileplume, sleep spores. He won't be up for at least six hour, now lets go, this is only the beginning," he finished, his tone dark. Moving forward, they saw an open hole in the ground, a ladder attached to it leading into darkness. While Aaron and the trainer were completely focused on the entrance, Tori's eyes were on the trainer. His eyes were narrowed and focused in anticipation, he almost seemed eager for the fights ahead. It just didn't seem right…

They all descended into darkness, the trainer returning Houndoom to a Pokéball, and were immediately greeted by a cold empty metal hallway, lit by a series of small white lights embedded in the ceiling. They moved forward slowly, their footsteps echoing hollowly around them. Tori didn't like it, and neither did Aaron or the trainer, it seemed like too obvious of a place to set a trap. Yet, they continued forward, unopposed.

Finally, turning a corner, they found themselves face to face with a guard, sternly guarding a mechanical locked door. Tori was immediately surprised by how plain he looked. He was wearing a simple dress shirt and a pair of jeans, his hair brown and cut short. If Tori had passed him in the streets she would have seen him as nobody important and forgotten about him. The guard obviously didn't pause to take in their appearances; he immediately grabbed a walkie-talkie strapped to his belt.

"Intruders at the-" he began before realizing he was no longer holding the walkie-talkie. The device now rested between the jaws of an extremely angry looking rodent Pokémon, it's sharp teeth gleaming in the light.

"I don't think so," reprimanded Aaron, shaking his head, a Pokéball held in his hand. As if on cue, his Raticate bit down, snapping the communication device in half. Tori hadn't even seen him reach for the Pokéball, was this the strength of the top gym leaders?

The guard stumbled, reaching for a Pokéball at his belt. Aaron simply shook his head again.

"Too slow, quick attack," he commanded. Launching itself through the air, Raticate collided directly with the guard's head, knocking him to the ground. Not missing a beat, Aaron walked up to the guard and pulled out a key card from his waist. Swiping it at the mechanical door, the door opened with an audible hiss, revealing a wide-open room. A massive light embedded in the ceiling lit the room, revealing a wide metal floor, at least thirty feet wide. Around the floor were metal balconies built high into the walls. It looked eerily like…

"A gym," observed Tori, looking around the open room, seemingly empty of life. Aaron gazed around the room, looking confused, looking confused.

"I don't understand, there were supposed to be more people here, not just two guards…" Aaron mused, his eyes continuing to dart around the room, his Raticate lifted it's nose into the air, trying to sniff out a hidden enemy. The trainer's Houndoom joined it, stalking around the room.

"Where are they?" the trainer finally whispered.

"Gone, long before any of you got here," a voice suddenly answered, the words echoing around the room. On cue, several lights flared on, illuminating a large balcony set high into the far wall. Standing on the platform was a fierce looking man, dressed in a plain long coat, and his dark red hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Felix!" exclaimed Aaron, "so you've joined them…"

"Of course," answered Felix, "I have better things to do with my life then sit around and wait for children to come and challenge me. Here, I've been able to do so much more. I've become than I ever would have from sitting in that gym."

"You are a fool," replied Aaron, "so where are the rest of the members?"

"I told you, they are long gone," Felix's expression slowly turned to a sneer, "we knew about you when you first stumbled onto this base. We figured you might pull some heroic attack, so we moved everyone out. No members to interrogate, those guards you captured are new, they don't know a single useful piece of information. As for me, you have no hope of defeating me in battle, I know I've surpassed you in power."

"I don't think so," murmured the trainer, glaring up at the gym leader.

"Now who is this?" asked Felix, raising his eyebrows, "oh, it's the boy who fought the flaming bird, Moltres…" this surprised the trainer, and his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What?" he replied.

"You were the silly boy who fought his way to the top of a mountain. There, you had the opportunity to gain the power of a legendary Pokémon, and what did you do? You let it go, then let a weakling follow you…" Felix mused, shaking his head at Tori.

"How do you know that? How much do you know about me?" The trainer questioned angrily. Felix stared down at him smugly.

"We know enough," he answered simply. With that, he pressed a switch on the balcony, and the platform began descending down towards the floor. Jumping off it once it had reached the ground, Felix faced the trio and their Pokémon, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So Aaron, let's begin," he stated, reaching into his coat to pull out a Pokéball.

"Right," agreed Aaron, his Raticate pulling up to his side. But before he could do anything, the trainer had grabbed his shoulder.

"No, I'll fight him. I need to," he said, "Houndoom, stay back for now. Go Banette," the ghost Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, it's teeth glowing weirdly in the light. Felix simply shrugged.

"I'll brush you aside in an instant, then hopefully I'll be able to fight a real trainer. Finish this quickly, Arcanine," the growling lion-like Pokémon appeared growling, ready for battle, the muscles under it's orange and black fur quivering with anticipation.

"Banette, keep your distance, hit it with a Shadow Ball!" the trainer ordered quickly. Nodding, Banette conjured a ball of darkness that immediately flew towards Arcanine, colliding solidly with it's chest. Arcanine winced slightly, but seemed fine.

"Decent effort, but you'll have to try a little harder than that. Fire Fang!" Flames licking around it's teeth, Arcanine charged across the metal floor, leaping and colliding with the ghost Pokémon, crashing to the ground with it's mouth clamped over Banette's body.

"Banette, get out of there!" with a force of will, Banette phased through the gnashing teeth and quickly moved across the room, "hit it with another Shadow Ball!" the attack collided solidly again, and Arcanine across at Banette, obviously annoyed now.

"Arcanine, put that ghost Pokémon back in it's place, Odor sleuth," Felix ordered. Arcanine glared across at Banette, it's gaze seeming to focus and grow clearer.

"Another Shadow Ball!" commanded the trainer, not entirely understanding what Arcanine had just done.

"I don't think so, Extreme Speed," in a blink of an eye, Arcanine had crossed the room and collided with Banette, sending it crashing into a wall, the metal ringing out like a bell throughout the room.

"What?" asked the trainer, "that's a normal move, it shouldn't be able to hit…"

"Odor Sleuth," repeated Felix, "it removes that pesky resistance from ghost types, and it looks like you're down a Pokémon."

"Not quite," replied the trainer, observing Banette. Slowly, it pulled itself off the ground, weakly supporting itself against the wall.

"Give Arcanine something to remember, Curse," the grin on Banette's face seemed to grow. Holding out one of it's hands, it jammed it's sharp claws into it's chest, immediately collapsing to the ground. As it did, a dark energy sprang from it's body. The energy flew across the room and fused with Arcanine. The fire Pokémon gazed around the room, confused, it appeared to be unharmed.

"Decent tactic, but the rest of your team will be destroyed before it can matter," Felix observed.

"We'll see, go Hitmonlee," Banette vanished into it's Pokéball and the powerful fighting type appeared on the field, it's legs bent into a fighting stance.

"Destroy it with Fire Blast," commanded Felix. Opening it's mouth wide, Arcanine released a giant blast of flame that rushed towards Hitmonlee.

"Protect," said the trainer. Hitmonlee immediately crouched down, a green bubble appearing around it's body. The flames blasted into the shield but dissipated harmlessly. As the attack finished, Arcanine shuddered as a dark energy emanated from it's body.

"So that's your plan," realized Felix, "but the shield won't last forever, Flamethrower," a barrage of flames collided with the shield and it was obvious it was going to last long.

"It doesn't need too, Hitmonlee, drop the shield, Revenge!" Protect vanished immediately and the flames were free to hit Hitmonlee, but they soon stopped as Arcanine shuddered as the dark energy emanated from it's body again. Charging forward, Hitmonlee's leg smashed into Arcanine's head, sending into the floor, unconscious.

"Hmm…" Felix sounded annoyed now, "get back here, go Ninetails." The elegant fox Pokémon took the place of Arcanine; it's tails flowing gracefully through the air.

"Let's start with Smoke Screen," said Felix. Opening it's mouth, Ninetails released a thick cloud of smoke that flowed over the floor, obscuring Hitmonlee's vision.

"Now plough through it with a Fire Blast," the attack flew through the smoke, slamming into the surprised Hitmonlee.

"Mind Reader!" commanded the trainer. Pulling itself up, Hitmonlee faced the smoke and closed it's eyes, trying to sense where Ninetails was.

"Useful move, but you need time to attack for it to worthwhile, finish it with a Flamethrower."

"Endure!" The trainer quickly followed. Hitmonlee crouch down as the flames passed over it's body, it staggered back up into a fighting stance, still in the fight.

"Now Reversal!" shouted the trainer. Hitmonlee charged forward, straight into the smoke and collided with Ninetails as a barrage of punches and kicks, overwhelming it's surprised opponent.

"Better than I thought," conceded Felix, staring at his second downed Pokémon, "but your Hitmonlee won't last any longer. Let's finish this, one on one, our best Pokémon," the trainer nodded quietly. He returned his Hitmonlee and had Houndoom slowly move forward. Felix returned Ninetails and threw his last Pokéball. The flashing light revealed a black growling Pokémon, with twin curled horns, one of them had the tip chipped off, sprouting from it's head, another Houndoom.

Tori stood at the sidelines with Aaron, surprised at the reveal of Felix's last Pokémon, but mostly she was angry, angry with herself. All she had been able to do was sit back ad watch…she was tired of being so…so useless.

"Houndoom, charged and slam your opponent to the ground with Crunch," obeying, Houndoom rushed forward, tackling Felix's Houndoom the floor. The two Pokémon were immediately locked in a grapple and were rolling across the floor, each trying to get an advantage over the other one. Finally, one Houndoom got on top, forcing the other to the ground. It appeared to be the trainer's Houndoom.

"Get out of there, Counter," Felix's Houndoom almost seemed to grin as it's body began to glow orange. Suddenly, it seemed to jump up from the floor, and it slammed it's head full force into it's opponent. The trainer narrowed his eyes in concentration, a fighting move changed everything in this fight.

"Houndoom, use smog for now, block it's vision," he ordered, nodding, Houndoom opened it's mouth an released a thick green fog that blinded everyone, including the trainers.

"A delay? What happened to your fighting spirit?" taunted Felix through the fog, his shirt pulled up over his mouth to prevent coughing, "you think you'll suddenly find a strategy in these few moments?"

"Not exactly," whispered the trainer, "but it lets me sneak up next to you," before Felix could react, the trainer's fist slammed into his head, sending him stumbling over to a wall. As Felix tried to reorient himself, he noticed that the smog had begun to clear. He was barely able to make out a form on the ground, a Houndoom, but which one? As the smog continued to clear, the chipped horn was revealed on the unconscious Houndoom.

"You lose," stated the trainer, before delivering another punch to Felix's stomach, "now tell me, what do you know about me?" Felix pulled himself up, and simply smiled eerily at the trainer.

"You think your fists are going to make me talk? The Organization can hurt me in ways you cannot imagine, you will never get anything from me," the trainer didn't care, he delivered another blow to Felix's grinning face, sending him crashing to the ground, dazed, barely conscious.

"Tell me!" He screamed, "Tell me something, anything!" as he raised his arm again, he felt something catch his hand. He turned, anger etched in his face, only to find himself staring at Tori. She was glaring at him, obviously angry.

"Stop," she said, mustering all of her courage to face him down, "it's over, you won, now just…just stop, please," she finished, her voice losing some of it's edge.

"Well done," congratulated Aaron, causing both of them to turn, in the excitement, they had practically forgotten about him.

"Come on, let's get outside, I've had enough of this dreary place," Tori and the trainer both nodded, only delaying to return Felix's Houndoom to it's Pokéball and grabbing Felix in order to drag him with them.

* * *

The sun seemed like such a strange thing after being underground, and Tori had to shield her eyes when it was revealed to her. It looked like the rain had finally passed.

"So…now what?" Tori finally asked, the trainer had lapsed into another of his silent moods, and Aaron seemed intent on imitating him.

"I'll contact the proper authorities to get Felix and these two guards put away, and as for you two…" Aaron began searching around in his pockets and finally pulled out what looked like a small calculator. He tossed it towards Tori who barely managed to catch it.

"It's called a PokéNav, a neat little device with a map, hopefully that'll stop you two from wandering around in the woods. Also, there's a phone on there, I'll give you a call if I can find anything else on the Organization, and one more thing," he grabbed something from inside Felix's jacket and tossed it to the trainer who caught it on reflex, "that's Felix's badge, though I'm not sure just how official that fight was. Only five leaders left, good luck," Tori bowed in thanks than turned to the trainer.

"Come on, let's go," she told him, he simply nodded and followed her off into the woods. Aaron followed them with his eyes then nodded once they had disappeared.

"Those two…" he began, and then closed his mouth, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself, but he couldn't keep the grin from appearing on his face.

* * *

The two had been walking for a while, Tori enjoying the sunlight and experimenting with the different functions of the PokéNav. The trainer seemed to be walking in a gloom, still unhappy.

"I thought he might know…" he finally whispered.

"What?" asked Tori.

"Felix…I thought he might know something about me, that why I attacked him, why I…hurt him," he explained.

"What do you want to know?" Tori asked, slipping the PokéNav into her pocket.

"Something…anything about me. You probably have memories of yourself as a kid, happy, maybe mischievous…I don't. I can remember things about my home, my parents, even others in my village…but myself…I know nothing at all…" Tori kept silent, it was obviously difficult for the trainer to talk so…openly like this.

"Do you know why I fought the mob, back in the last town?" he finally asked.

"You wanted to protect the Pokémon, the Dusknoir," Tori answered, finding herself hoping that was the right answer.

"No…" the trainer admitted, "I thought that was what I wanted, but no…I wanted to prove that I was stronger than them, that I could defeat a mob of idiots on my own. Before you I had nobody, I was alone. My Pokémon were there, but they can never really take the place of people. My strength was what I used to acknowledge myself, to make others acknowledge me, to show myself I'm not alone…"

"Oh," was all Tori could say at first, "but that's not true anymore is it?" The trainer looked to her, confused.

"You have me don't you? As long as I'm here, you're not alone, you're not nothing," she smiled up at him, and the trainer couldn't stop the involuntary quiver of his mouth that almost, almost, lead to a smile.

"Right…come on, let's get to the next town," he replied. Tori smiled and pulled out the PokéNav again.

Yes, it seemed like the rain had finally passed.

* * *

Well there you go, please R&R, and join me again on the next chapter, which should only take...five or six month, hah, I hope not. :P


	5. Chapter 5

Yes it took forever, yes it's a bit short...but then again, I never intended for it to be long in the first place.

* * *

_An open road_

It felt so strange to finally be on one after what had felt like years in the woods. Tori's PokéNav had worked wonders in leading them out of the forest, and now they had a definite destination, one of the largest cities in the region, Maize.

"Maize?" Tori asked upon seeing the name in her PokéNav, "what kind of town is that?"

"One that lives up to it's name," the trainer grunted, leading the way by himself for once, his Houndoom still resting in it's Pokéball, "a maze of buildings and people, one wrong step…and you might never leave…"

"Any dark secrets here?" Tori asked, feeling this was a question that would come up at every town.

"No, just the regular kind," was his reply. Tori stopped in the middle of the road, confused. Was he being serious, or had he attempted to make…a joke? Realizing she was falling behind, Tori quickened her pace until she was right beside the trainer.

Slowly, they reached the top of hill, and could finally see their destination. Just like at Jet, Tori could not stop the surprise that spread over her face. Great skyscrapers sprouted from the ground around the edge of the city, like the fingers of a giant hand reaching towards the sun. The rest of the buildings were more moderately sized, though Tori didn't see a single one below three stories. Getting closer to the city Tori saw just how the city lived up to it's name.

There was an obvious main street that cut though through the city, along with slightly smaller ones that divided the city into neat sections. Those weren't the problem. From the smaller streets sprouted back alleyways, shortcuts, a never-ending series of pathways that could take you anywhere in the city far faster than the main roads. Tori watched people effortlessly glide of the streets and into dark alleys, completely sure of where they were going.

"We're going to stick to the main roads right?" Tori asked hopefully.

"For now," said the trainer, gazing at the busy streets, "I need to heal my Pokémon, come on." Luckily, the PokéCenter was easy to find, it being a popular destination for most people entering the city. Entering though the sliding door, Tori was taken aback at how crowded the center was. There were trainers of all kinds, some in groups, happily talking to each other, while other stood off to the side, obviously trying to look cooler than the rest. Some were merely kids maybe nine or ten years old, yet there were a few that had to be at least twenty.

An obviously harried Nurse Joy noticed them entering and waved them over to a side counter.

"Need your Pokémon healed?" she asked, already pulling out a tray for the Pokéballs. Simply nodding, the trainer handed over his Pokéballs.

"I'm afraid it might take awhile, the rest of the trainers have had us going nonstop. They get their Pokémon healed, go outside to fight each other, then come back inside to get healed again, it's just ridiculous," nodding quickly, Nurse Joy left them and headed to the back of the center.

Stepping away from the counter, the trainer glanced around looking for a place to sit and wait. Not seeing any open space he resorted to leaning against an open space of wall, Tori joined him.

"So," she finally said after a few minutes of waiting, "what's the plan after your Pokémon are healed?"

"Go challenge to gym," he replied easily.

"Um…" Tori started, "do you think we could…hold off on that for a bit?" the trainer looked at her in confusion.

"Well," she continued, "it seems that all we've been doing is, go to a town, fight, then leave. We haven't had any time to relax…" she stopped, staring at the trainer, it was obvious she had been thinking about this for awhile. The trainer stared back at her, then finally shrugged.

"Fine…what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Shopping," she replied, perking up, "there has to be a mall in a town this big right?" Before the trainer could reply Nurse Joy called over to them.

"Sir, your Pokémon are healed," she held out the tray and the trainer quickly removed his Pokéballs, "thank you, we hope to see you again," she finished with a smile before going back to work. With his Pokémon, the trainer and Tori both headed outside.

"So where is the mall?" Tori asked once they were outside. The trainer gestured to one of the towers around the edge of the town. The sides were plastered with different banners, each advertising a different product a trainer might need. The whole setup seemed rather…obnoxious.

* * *

By following the main roads they were easily able to find their way to the mall. Upon entering, it was obvious they weren't they only ones that had thought shopping was a good idea. People milled about the first floor, asking others if they knew where the sales were or they rushed to the stairs or elevator in order to get to the different floors.

Tori walked over to a sign that described the different floors, spying one, she quickly grabbed the trainer and pulled him over to an elevator.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You'll find out," she replied mischievously, hitting the button for the seventh floor. The elevator quickly rose and the doors opened to a rush of happy barking and chitterling noises. The seventh floor was the Pokémon store. Small pens dotted the floors, containing Pokémon intended as pets. Several Sentret stood up on their tails, trying to peer over the fence at the interested shoppers, while groups of Zigzagoon dashed around their pens, full of energy. A lone pen stood off to the side, full of a few rather dignified looking Eevee, Pokémon obviously intended for those with more money than the average person.

Tori immediately headed over to the Zigzagoon pen, picking up one of the happy Pokémon and cuddling it in her arms. She turned to the trainer as the Pokémon relaxed in her arms.

"Come on, they're cuddly," she cooed. Seeing no other option, the trainer headed over to the pen and boldly stuck his arms down, scaring the Zigzagoon all over to the other side. His eyes narrowing, he tried following them, but they merely ran away again. He continued to try, circling several times around the pen, but the Zigzagoon effortlessly avoided him. Watching all this, Tori could help but laugh. Her sudden laugh startled many shoppers walking by, but she didn't care. It felt so good to laugh, it seemed like it had been ages since she was this relaxed, since she was able to simply be herself and not worry about the consequences. Finally stopping, she saw that the trainer was glaring at her.

"Sorry," she apologized, a smile still on her face, "but it's no wonder they keep running away from you, with that scary look plastered over your face, come on," she lowered her Zigzagoon back into the pen and motioned to the trainer.

"Watch," she said simply. She lowered her hand into the pen and motioned to one of the Zigzagoon the trainer had chased around. Slowly, the wary Pokémon ambled over to her, then stared expectantly up at her, an expectant look on it's face.

"See, you have to show them you're not…well…terrifying," picking up the second Zigzagoon, she held it out to the trainer, "come on, try holding it," hesitantly, the trainer picked up the small Pokémon in his arms. The two stood still for a moment, each looking so uncomfortable that Tori almost laughed again, but managed to stop herself as the trainer glared at her.

"Okay, I get it, this isn't your thing," a laugh escaped her lip as she took the Zigzagoon from his arms and placed it back in it's pen, "come on, there's a lot of other things to do here." They moved away from the pens and began to explore the rest of the floor. Along with the pens, water tanks filled up an entire wall with several species of Pokémon happily swimming around the calm waters. Also displayed were several cages that held different types of bug Pokémon, or slightly more aggressive types reserved for more adventurous owners.

Tori happily examined them all, constantly wondering if she should bring out the money she had to buy one.

"Don't do it," the trainer said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" she asked, "why?"

"These Pokémon aren't bred for fighting, they wouldn't last a minute," he explained, shrugging.

"What makes you think I want to fight?" she asked.

"You're not the type to sit at home doing nothing," he replied, bringing a smile to Tori's face, that was definitely true. Giving the Eevee one last glance, Tori put a hand to her stomach, realizing just how long ago it was that she ate something.

"Hey, lets go up to the food court," she said, grabbing the trainer by the arm and pulling him to the elevator. Hitting the button for the roof, the elevator quickly ascended and opened, revealing a surprising view of calm serenity.

The sun shone down on several sets of chairs and tables, each set up with an umbrella in the center to provide shade. A few carts sat off to the side, selling various foods. There were very few people here; most who came to the mall were far more interested in shopping rather than eating.

Tori quickly grabbed a table then went off to get some food, leaving the trainer alone. He sat there for a while, staring at nothing, when Tori returned, carrying two cones, one in each hand, that were filled with a creamy substance the trainer didn't recognize.

"Ice cream," Tori cheerfully announced, handing him a cone, "enjoy," as he hesitantly began eating the treat, Tori allowed her thoughts to wander while they sat under the cool shade.

Unsurprisingly, her thoughts quickly turned to the trainer, and how much he had changed since she had first met him back home in Sienna. Back then, he seemed so full of anger, boldly claiming that he was going to kill the Pokémon rumored to live on top of the nearby mountain, then burning down the home of a boy who stood up to him. She had followed up the mountain, chasing him through blizzards and past wild Pokémon. Finally, she had caught up to him, and he let her follow, only because he deemed her useful. They had reached the top, and the trainer had found what he was looking for, the legendary Moltres, and he'd defeated it.

But, something stayed his hand, part of it was he had begun to see exactly what kind of person he was, someone who would sacrifice everything for revenge. He let Moltres go, and from there, he'd begun to change.

It hadn't been easy, and Tori constantly found herself worrying he would fall back into the person he once was, especially after he had tried to fight off a mob. It was like he was poised along the edge of a cliff, once false step, and he would fall, lost forever, but…he had changed much from their first encounter.

_He's not the only one who's changed_

That thought quickly came into her head, and she had to admit it was true. After following him for so long, she felt like it would be impossible to simply return to her village and live out a peaceful life at her family's inn. She remembered the trainer fighting against Felix in that underground base, she remembered how, with their last Pokémon out, the trainer had cornered Felix, and attacked him. She had run over, intent on stopping him, making sure that he wouldn't go too far. She had grabbed his arm and stared him down, so afraid that he would ignore her. But he listened, he relented to her. Yes…she had certainly changed too.

"Your ice cream is melting," the trainer said, bringing her back to the present.

"What? Ahh!" the vanilla ice cream had melted down the cone and over her hand, creating a huge mess. Quickly, she ran over to get some napkins to try and clean it up, the trainer simply shook his head.

With the situation finally under control, Tori sat back down and found herself staring at the trainer again and wondering just what it was he was thinking. So much of him was still a mystery to her…and she wanted to understand him, for reasons she couldn't explain.

"Hey," she finally said, "what are you-" she was interrupted as a loud ringing noise emanated from her pocket. She quickly pulled out the PokéNav and flipped it open.

"Hello? Aaron?" she asked, knowing it couldn't be anyone else.

"Yes, hurry, put him on," she quickly handed it over to the trainer. Grabbing the phone, he listened for a bit, only answering with "yes" or, "I'll be there" before handing up.

"Well, what did he say?" Tori asked, her question forgotten.

"We need to go, Aaron said he found something at the base. It gave the name of an agent of the organization, the gym leader in Maize…"

* * *

Yup, it was really a filler chapter, mainly to show more of the relationship with the trainer and Tori, I have some really good ideas for what's going to happen next though, please R&R, and criticize me, I need to make this story better.


	6. Chapter 6

Woo! First chapter written fully at college!

* * *

"Wait up!" Tori called, but it was useless. The trainer was practically running through the crowds, shoving anyone that got in his way to the side. After he had finished the call with Aaron, he had immediately left the mall and headed for the gym, not even noticing if Tori was following him or not. Strangely, Maize's gym was not located in the center of town, like the other gyms they'd been to, but was found outside, nestled in the woods like it was trying to distance itself from the loud, over packed city.

"Come on!" Tori tried again. "The gym isn't going anywhere!" she quickened her pace, almost sprinting, to try and catch up.

"But the leader might," he replied, his voice almost a whisper, trying to conserve his energy. "I don't want to take any chances." Tori couldn't help the feelings of disappointment as she followed him. They had been perfectly fine, relaxing at the mall, acting like normal people, but it looked like the world simply wouldn't let them be.

Finally, with one last powerful shove, the trainer managed to clear the crowds of people. From there, it was short walk to the outskirts of town. Following a simple cobbled road, Tori was amazed at how silent everything seemed. With no people milling about, it was simply her and the trainer.

"So," she said, breaking the silence, "what are we supposed to do at the gym? I mean, do we have any authority to arrest the gym leader?"

"We have to get the leader to surrender and get them back to town. Aaron said he would be waiting with the authorities," the trainer explained, and they fell back into silence. Rounding one last corner, the gym finally came into view.

Tori was surprised. If she hadn't been looking for it, she doubted she would have ever found the gym. The road ended far before it reached the group of trees that held the gym, simply disintegrating into a messy clearing of weeds and grass, and from what Tori could see, it looked like the gym was as well cared for as the path. The trees around the building had overgrown, their roots snaking into the structure of the building, causing massive cracks to form along the walls. The sun could barely reach the roof through the massive entanglement of branches above it. Tori could barely make out the welcoming sign above the empty doorway.

"What if the leader isn't here?" Tori asked hesitantly.

"They'll be here," the trainer replied, his steady gaze fixated on the desolate gym before them. Looking determined, he began to head for the entrance.

Stepping into the empty doorway, he stopped in surprise as the room lit up with a blinding flash. The light did little to help improve the looks of the gym. A massive fighting floor was spread out before them. It was simple gray concrete with a stylized black Pokéball painted in the center. The various roots had spread here as well, cracking open the concrete, making the ground uneven. Slowly, the trainer began walking forward again, his eyes scanning the room, looking for any signs of life.

"What's this? Some trainers actually came to the gym today? And I was just about to go home," a voice echoed throughout the large room, and surprisingly, it sounded...female. Another light flared on, illuminating the far end of the gym. Standing there, her arms crossed confidently across her chest, was a young woman. She was dressed in a long black overcoat, and underneath it she wore a white t-shirt with matching black pants and shoes. Her long black hair was braided over the front of her right shoulder and her gray eyes almost seemed to glint with mischief.

"People don't come here often?" the trainer asked, his voice wary.

"Hardly any of them can pull themselves away from the 'splendors' of Maize. Just a town with an inflated opinion of itself if you ask me. But, if you don't get trainers, then you don't get any funding leading to this," she gestured at the decrepit area, "It's only because of determined trainers like you that this gym stays open, but I doubt you really care about any of that. I am Liliya, the leader of this gym." she spread her arms majestically, revealing three Pokéballs attached to her belt.

"I doubt we're what you were looking for," replied the trainer, releasing Houndoom from a Pokéball. The Pokémon snarled at the gym leader, its eyes glowing with smoke trailing from it's mouth, "We know who you're working for, and we're here to take you in." His voice took on a much darker tone. Liliya paused for a moment.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, almost hesitantly.

"Don't play dumb, we know that you work for The Organization," Tori added in, her eyes staring defiantly at the leader.

"What? You've made a huge mistake, I can explain-" Liliya responded warily, her hand moving closer to her Pokéballs.

"I don't think so!" the trainer shouted, deciding that she wasn't going to come quietly. "Houndoom, take her down!" With a howl, his partner charged forward, intent on tackling the gym leader to the floor.

"Wait damn it!" she yelled, but it was useless. With a flash of light she released on of her own Pokémon, "Mightyena, hold it off!" The powerful wolf-like Pokémon stared down Houndoom, its intimidating eyes stopping Houndoom in it's tracks.

"Don't stop! Flamethrower!" the trainer yelled. Obeying, Houndoom released a stream of fire from its mouth, causing Mightyena to stagger back as the flames licked at its skin.

"Come on! Listen to me!" Liliya tried again. The trainer pointedly ignored her, keeping his full attention on his Pokémon.

"Finish it, Fire Fang!" Houndoom rushed forward, flames billowing out from its mouth as it sank its teeth into Mightyena's neck. The Pokémon let out a keening howl of pain before collapsing to the ground, barely conscious. Seeing this, Liliya's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh that's it," she growled, "you come into my gym, accuse me, and hurt my Pokémon. I don't care what you think anymore. You're going down." Mightyena vanished back inside it's Pokéball and Liliya grabbed another one, this one was colored pitch black.

"Take them down," she called, and as the Pokéball opened, the light revealed a massive, green, dinosaur-like Pokémon. "Tyranitar, Earthquake." Nodding, Tyranitar pulled back its fist and slammed it into the ground. Massive shock waves began reverberating around the room, tearing up the ground even further and sending Houndoom tumbling, off balance, to the floor.

"Go, grab it!" Liliya yelled, Tyranitar ran forward, grabbing its disoriented opponent in its arms, "Now, Payback!" With a roar, Tyranitar lifted Houndoom over its head and threw it directly into a nearby wall. Houndoom slid to the floor in a heap.

"Houndoom, get up, we can't lose!" The trainer cried, anger lacing his voice. With a slight whimper Houndoom pushed itself up, its legs barely supporting it's weight.

"Scyther! Help Houndoom!" The bug Pokémon appeared in the arena, it's bladed arms held out in front of it, ready to attack. Tori, like always, sat back, amazed at how brutal the battle had become.

"Two on one? Not gonna help you!" Liliya mocked, a grim smile on her face.

"We'll see," replied the trainer, his eyes narrowed in concentration, "Scyther, take to the air, " its wings buzzing, Scyther lifted off of the ground and began hovering near the ceiling.

"X-Scissor! But stay out of range of his attacks," Scyther followed the order, dive bombing it's massive opponent, taking quick swipes at Tyranitar's head as it roared and attempted to swipe the Pokémon out of the air.

"Don't just flail your arms! Hyper Beam!" Liliya called. Stopping for a moment to regain it's composure, Tyranitar took a deep breath, then stretched its mouth wide open. Immediately, a great beam of yellow energy erupted forth and shot straight at Scyther. The Pokémon tried to dodge, but it was futile. Caught in the blast, Scyther was sent crashing into the floor. Tyranitar still stood, breathing heavily, but still ready to fight.

"You've lost! Tyranitar's too powerful for you, ready to give up?" Liliya asked. Tori, behind the trainer, shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, maybe you should," she offered, looking over the battlefield. She saw the hurt and staggering forms of his two Pokémon, the shattered remains of the battlefield, and all of it just looked...wrong. The trainer was taking this battle too far, prioritizing winning over the safety of his Pokémon

"No!" he shouted back, "I'm not done, I won't lose to you, no matter what! Go, Overheat!" Houndoom, circling around Tyranitar while it was distracted by Scyther. Readying its attack, Houndoom's body began to glow a deep red, then it opened its mouth, releasing a torrential blast of fire, circling around Tyranitar's body. The giant Pokémon let out a roar of anger and pain before finally collapsing to the ground, parts of it's skin burned and blackened. Houndoom, its energy expended, it's body pushed far beyond it's limits, collapsed to the ground.

Liliya and the trainer stood still, facing each other, their Pokémon lying unmoving on the broken gym floor. Then, simultaneously, they reached for another Pokéball.

"I think that is quite enough," a voice echoed through the room, stopping both of them. Turning to the noise, they were greeted by a group of about ten people standing in the open doorway. Men and women, not a single thing alike about any of them except for the impassive looks plastered across their faces. They stood still for only a moment, then surged forward. Tori and the trainer were surrounded in a moment, their arms forced behind their back as they were shoved to the ground. Tori heard a shout that might have come from Liliya, but as she craned her neck to try and see, one of the men noticed. Then all she saw was a bright flash of light, then nothing at all.

* * *

What finally woke her up was the noise of what sounded like a very heated argument, the next thing she noticed was a sharp pain at her wrists. Her hands were bound together, and there was an ache in her head from being knocked unconscious.

"You idiot!" shouted a voice, probably Liliya, "you couldn't have taken the chance to stop fighting for just a moment and listen to me?"

"You could have lied, lulled us into a false sense of security, then attacked," explained the trainer, trying with obvious effort to not yell. "Besides, we found your name in a database at one of these bases." That got Tori's attention. She immediately opened her eyes and sat up to look around. They were in what looked like a large metal cell, windowless and lit by a few stray lights in the ceiling. Examining the walls, she found what looked like a door, but there was no obvious way to open it from the inside.

"Let me guess," started Liliya, failing to notice Tori, "that base you found, was it abandoned?"

"Yes, how'd you know?" replied the trainer, suspicion lacing his words.

"Because once they abandon their bases, they deliberately leave false information on the computers to throw people off of the trail!" Liliya yelled in frustration.

"Wait," Tori finally said, drawing the startled looks of Liliya and the trainer, "how do you know about the Organization?"

"Because..." the leader hesitated. "Because I've been trying to take them down, and I was doing a pretty good job until you two came along. They were probably waiting for you to attack me. They've tried to get me before, but they can't send too many people without drawing the attention of the authorities. They must have been so excited when a dope like you decided to their dirty work for them." The trainer had no reply for that, merely an angry glare.

"So, you aren't part of the organization," Liliya rolled her eyes at Tori. "Are we in one of their bases now?"

"I guess so, no idea where though, they gave me and him the same treatment they gave you," Liliya rubbed her head, obviously irritated. They sat together for a few moment, unsure of what to say and expecting something to happen. Finally Liliya let out a sigh and continued talking.

"So, with all the yelling, fighting and kidnapping, I don't think I ever got your names," she offered.

"Oh! Well I'm Tori, from Sienna," Tori answered, smiling slightly at the silliness of introducing yourself while being held by a criminal organization.

"Sienna? That's quite a ways from here. Don't tell me that Mr. Gloomy convinced you to leave your home with him," Tori blushed at Liliya's guess.

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that," Tori tried to explain.

"How so?" Liliya asked.

"I tried to kill Moltres, she stopped me," the trainer cut in, his face expressionless.

"Moltres?" Liliya replied, "The legendary bird of fire? There's more to you than the average angst filled teen, isn't there? Mind telling me your name?" She leaned forward, trying to get a better look at him, but he just turned away.

"Don't have one," he explained, his gaze still on the ground. Liliya looked over at Tori in confusion.

"It's...a very long story, he's had a very hard life..." Tori told her, looking over at the trainer in concern.

"Well...it's going to get a lot worse unless we find a way to get out of here," Tori and the trainer nodded in agreement with Liliya, "hey, why are you two attacking The Organization anyways?"

"We passed through a town before this, a member from The Organization had roused the people into a mob, to make them attack a Dusknoir, we stopped them...barely," Tori rubbed the top of her eyebrow, she could feel the stone that cut open her forehead, "what they did...they did it only to get power. Later, we found another gym leader, Aaron, who was fighting against them, he led us to the base, and found the data that led us to you."

"He's fighting them too? He always seemed kind of bland to me, I'd never have guessed," Liliya replied, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

"Good, he didn't want anyone to know. Didn't know who might be on their side. It was a good idea, I ended up fighting Felix, one of your ex-leaders, in that base," said the trainer, still looking at the ground.

"Hah, guess you two thought you were real heroes, huh. But don't worry, you guys can help me once we get out of here, and once we tell Aaron to look a little harder at the information he finds, The Organization won't stand a chance," Tori couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"That sounds...good," agreed the trainer.

"Yeah, we'll be a real crime fighting team," Liliya let out a short laugh, "but first...we need to get out of here," As if on cue, the door to the cell slid open with a hiss, and a lone guardsman stood in the doorway.

"Congratulations, the boss sent us a message saying-" He didn't get the chance to finish as Liliya dived at him, tackling him to the ground. Quickly standing back up, Liliya placed on of her booted feet on the guard's throat.

"Hey, you're the jail guard right?" she asked. "How about you unlock the cuffs on our hands?"

"Why should I...do that?" he gasped from the ground, trying to pull her foot from his throat.

"Because while you might get hurt if you set us free," she leaned down a bit, "if you don't help, I can assure you that you'll get hurt," Liliya finished with a growl. His eyes shot open with fright, and Liliya nodded at him as she stepped away. Quickly, forcing himself up, the guard pulled out a key from his belt and freed their hands from the handcuffs.

"Thank you very much," said Liliya. "One more question, what did they do with our Pokémon?" She followed this question by grabbing the front of his shirt, nearly lifting him up off the floor.

"O-over there!" he gestured to a large metal box. "We were just about the ship them out to other organization members, but they're all still there," he stuttered in fear.

"Well thank you very much," replied Liliya, all smiles. "Okay, you two out of the cell. And as for you, get comfortable." As Tori and the trainer rushed out of the cell, Liliya unceremoniously dumped the guard in the cell. Stepping outside, she calmly hit a button, causing the door to slide shut with a hiss.

The trainer immediately tore the top off the metal container, revealing the sets of Pokéballs for him and Liliya.

"I don't believe how easy that was," the trainer mused, hooking the Pokéballs back to his belt.

"Yeah...I was expecting more guards...especially if they captured me," Liliya pondered for a moment as she collected her Pokéballs.

"I think we can worry about that once we manage to get out of here," Tori cut in, glancing around, expecting more guards to jump out of the shadows.

"Right, come on," agreed Liliya, and they were off, running down a steel hallway.

* * *

A half hour later, and they had no idea if they were any closer to getting back outside. The base seemed to run for miles, but they hadn't seen any group of guards.

"How much further?" Tori asked, probably for the fifth time.

"Like I said before, I really have no idea, no one knows anything about these bases, how many there are, how far they go, we could be underneath a city right now for all I know!" Liliya yelled, though it was obvious she was worried, she wanted to get out as much as they did.

"Well, we have to be getting close to something," started the trainer, but stopped as they turned right at a T-intersection. In front of them stood a group of ten guards, a Pokéball held in each of their hands.

"Hah, guess our lucks run out," observed Liliya.

"You're coming with us," growled one man, his Pokéball opening, releasing the towering angry form of a Nidoking.

"Not without a fight!" replied the trainer, reaching for his own Pokéball, but was stopped as Liliya forced herself in front of him.

"Hey, it's my turn to be the hero, I can take care of these guys," she told them, staring down the group of guards.

"I don't think so, you could barely hold me off," argued the trainer.

"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself, just get yourselves out of here!" she ordered as the guards began to move forward and more Pokémon were released to join the battle.

"...right" the trainer finally agreed, turning around and grabbing Tori as they escaped down the other empty passage. But as they ran, screams, human and Pokémon, echoed down the hallway as the walls shook with the power of the attacks.

"Liliya...you think she'll really be okay?" Tori finally asked as she ran.

"...no...so we have to get out of here, no matter what. We can get the authorities, and come back to save her," he replied, squeezing Tori's hand in reassurance. Finally, at the end of this hallway, they came upon a massive door, twice as tall as either of them. The trainer hesitantly stepped forward, and as he did, the door slid open automatically, revealing what looked like a large empty room, two doors set into the far wall.

"You've gotten further than I expected, but I guess the boss has the scales tipped in your favor, for now," a voice called, and a man stepped out of the shadows. This man was tall and thin, his head shaved bald. His entire self simply spoke of a tough, wiry strength. He was dressed in a simple black martial arts outfit that seemed to flow with his body as he walked toward the pair, his eyes full of calm intent.

"Who are you?" Tori asked, backing away as he moved forward.

"...Cross," he replied, stopping in the center of the room, "I see you lost Liliya. No surprise, she never could stop herself when it came to helping people. In fact, he was probably planning on it..."

"What are you talking about?" asked the trainer.

"Nothing you need to worry about. What you do need to worry about is that more guards on their way, and one of these doors," he gestured behind him, "leads outside."

"And the other?" inquired the trainer.

"The labs...then...well it doesn't matter, I advise you to take the other way." Cross shrugged, "but of course...I'm not going to let you leave."

"So a battle then?" said the trainer, reaching for his Pokéballs. Cross merely laughed.

"Oh, no, I've got something a little more interesting planned," the trainer paused for a moment, a mistake. It what seemed like an instant Cross bounded across the room and slammed his fist into the trainer's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. As the trainer fell to the group gasping, Cross turned to look at Tori, his face expressionless.

"I guess I never gave my full title," he reached down to the trainer's belt and unhooked his Pokéballs, pocketing them in his robe. "I'm Cross, the former leader of the Fighting Gym."

* * *

There we go, and things are gonna get pretty serious next chapter, just trust me. Please, if anyone manages to stumble across this, leave a review.


	7. Chapter 7

Here it is, the one chapter I was really excited to write...and I really don't think it turned out as well as it could have. But I'll let you be the judge.

* * *

The Trainer continued to lay on the cold steel floor, trying to bring his breathing under control. Finally, he was able to force himself to his knees and look up at the expressionless face of Cross.

"What...kind of fight is this?" he was able to force out.

"One between trainers, not Pokémon," Cross answered with a shrug, "Do you any idea how tiring it is to see trainer after trainer come into my gym, relying on their Pokémon for everything? They can't do anything for themselves, they never find the strength needed to stand up for themselves. Now, lets see if you have that strength..." he lowered into a fighting stance, his fists held steadily in front of him. It was obvious he waiting for the trainer to stand back up.

Slowly bringing himself up to his feet, the trainer glared at Cross. What was he supposed to do? He had no idea how to fight someone like this, a man who had devoted his life to training his body towards perfection. He glanced over at Tori, but she looked as lost as him. Turning back to Cross he wasn't given any more time to think as a flurry of blows collided with his chest. He couldn't do anything except back away to lessen the force of the blows. He only stopped when he backed into a cold metal wall.

"This isn't exactly fair," the trainer managed to say, his arms crossed in front of him in an attempt to ward off attacks.

"And when exactly has your life ever been fair?" countered Cross, "As a child you lost everything in a blaze of fire. From there you spent your time running all over, fighting trainers, gaining strength. Finally, you climbed to the top of a mountain and defeated a legendary Pokémon, both tasks believed to be impossible. You have surpassed the limits of every challenge presented to you. But...you've been falling behind."

As Cross talked he sent out a few punches, making sure to keep the trainer on edge, though it was obvious he was not attacking full-out, he wanted the trainer to listen.

"I saw your battle against Liliya. You barely defeated her Pokémon, and it wasn't your teams fault, it was yours. You were angry, your strategy in that fight was reduced to attacking over and over until you won. You've grown too complacent on the strength of your team, so now it's time to see if you will be able to survive without it. You will surpass your limits...or you will die," with that Cross delivered a powerful blow at the trainer's head. Raising his arms, he was able to block the attack, but that left his chest exposed, which Cross quickly took advantage of. The blow that connected smashed the trainer into the wall where he slid down to the floor once again.

"Get up, this isn't even close to being over," commanded Cross, moving back to the center of the room. Tori quickly ran over, trying to help the trainer stand back up.

"Felt like...like he cracked a rib with that last punch," the trainer gasped out, grimacing in pain.

"How are you supposed to beat him?" Tori asked, glancing over at Cross, who simply watched them, an apathetic look on his face.

"I don't think I can," he answered, pulling himself up with Tori's help, "my only chance is...to cheat..."

"What? How?" Tori exclaimed. Cross's eyes had narrowed, he was obviously suspicious of their conversation.

"Watch...you'll see soon enough," was all he said before turning his gaze back to Cross.

"Wait, isn't their anything I can do to help?" Tori asked, she refused to be useless right now, she was tired of constantly being forced to sit back for everything.

"Yeah, probably...but...it's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt. I can take care of this," he assured her, though he didn't sound so sure himself. Before she could argue, he charged forward, rushing towards Cross in what was easily a foolish, desperate attack. Cross raised an eyebrow at this, but met the attack full on. He slammed his fist directly into the trainer's gut, but he didn't fall. Instead of attacking the trainer wrapped his arms around Cross's, as if he was trying to cripple him. Cross quickly brought his left arm up and slammed the trainer in the head, driving him down on to his knees. Still the trainer kept moving, releasing the grip of one of his arms to, not hit Cross, but instead snaked into the pocket on his robe. Suddenly there was the sound of tearing fabric and a flash of red light, and standing between Cross and the trainer was a brown, humanoid Pokémon, the coiled muscles in its legs tensed and ready for battle.

"Hitmon...lee," it muttered, turning to its trainer for guidance.

"Fight," the trainer whispered, disoriented from the blow to the head, "take him out, don't hold back," Hitmonlee nodded, and immediately jumped forward, attacking Cross with a barrage of powerful kicks.

Cross tried to fight against the powerful Pokémon, but while he had trained since a young age to fight, honing his reflexes to their max potential, Hitmonlee was born that way. Every muscle in its body was designed for fighting, fighting was its life, it knew no other reason for being, only that it had to fight, and it had to win.

Cross never stood a chance.

The fight ended as Hitmonlee knocked Cross's legs out from underneath him, sending him to the metal floor. As the Pokémon advanced, Cross held up his hands, a gesture of surrender.

"Enough, this fight is over," he conceded. As Hitmonlee back off he slowly shifted his legs so he was sitting cross-legged with his hands settled comfortably in his lap. The trainer backed off warily, wincing as each step brought pain to his many injuries.

"There's no need for that," Cross commented, noticing his movements, "You've beaten me, I'm not going to get back up and attack you."

"But I didn't really beat you," said the trainer, nodding at his Pokémon, "I cheated," Cross smiled at this.

"Maybe that was the point?" he offered, "no one else in The Organization fights by the rules you're used to. You have to learn to break those rules, or you're going to fall here," his gaze hardened on the trainer, but for a moment, he seemed to glance in Tori's direction.

"Wait...you're saying you were trying to help us?" Tori asked incredulously.

"Trying to help him," Cross corrected, "but only if he won, if he'd lost, you two would have never left this base," he shrugged, uncaring.

"You're really telling the truth aren't you? You were trying to help me by pummeling me within an inch of my life," replied the trainer, letting out a dry laugh, then cringing in pain, "so which one of these doors leads outside?" He gestured to the two doors set into a far wall.

"The one on the left, follow it and you will end up in the woods, head north and you should find a town," answered Cross.

"Wait," interrupted Tori, "you said before that the other one lead to the labs, but that we shouldn't go that route. What's so dangerous about it?"

"Do you really want to know?" Cross questioned, but he shook his head after taking another glance at the trainer, "through the other door are the labs, empty right now, but after that is the main room where our leader stays, where he is currently staying..."

All the trainer and Tori could do was stand in stunned silence.

"You mean...he's here right now?" the trainer asked, his eyes widening.

"Don't," stated Cross, "Don't go after him."

"Why? He's here, this could be the only chance to face him!" the trainer yelled.

"Do you know why I work for this group? It's because their leader defeated me with almost no effort. Disguised, he traveled to my gym and offered me the chance to join him. I demanded a battle, first with our Pokémon, then on-on-on. I had no hope during either battle. In mere moments my team was destroyed, in seconds I was sent to the ground. He is stronger than you, that I know without a doubt. Just leave here," Cross sounded honest, but the trainer shook his head.

"No, I'm not running from this. I haven't lost to anything yet, and I'm not going to start now," Cross's eyes grew hard and cold upon hearing this.

"Fine, but remember that I warned you. When you go through those doors, I hope you're prepared for what you _will_ lose," the trainer wasn't listening at this point, quickly returning Hitmonlee and heading for the door on the right. Tori followed him, only stopping to give a concerned glance at Cross. The leader sighed, but it was hopeless.

Neither of them could have been prepared for what happened next.

* * *

The room they entered was pitch black, and they were immediately blinded as the door behind them slammed shut. They stood in silence for a few moments before the lights above their heads activated, illuminating a long narrow hallway. The hallway was lined on each side by a series of green tanks that seemed to hold...something.

"What's in there?" Tori asked hesitant;y, inching closer toward the tanks.

"I...don't know," muttered the trainer, moving closer with her. Slowly, he brought up one hand and tapped the glass. The form, immersed in a green liquid, slowly rotated around. Leaning closer, the trainer's eyes opened wide as he recognized what it was.

"Moltres..." he whispered.

"What?" Tori asked, moving closer, "How can this be Moltres? It would never fit in something this small."

"I know, but look closer, it's Moltres, only...smaller," examining it herself, Tori was able to see the resemblance. The creature in the tank had the same bright red coloration in its fathers, the reds and oranges looking like small flickering flames, though ti did look much more subdued in the liquid. The creature floated in the tank, it's eyes closed, showing no signs of life.

"So do you think...there's one in each of these tanks?" Tori turned, trying to take in the staggering amount of tanks lining the hall.

"Yeah," replied the trainer, "But I have no idea why. C'mon, there might be some answers in the room ahead." Tori nodded and they were off, running through the hallway, each trying to ignore all the motionless figures suspended in the numerous tanks. As they reached the door set into the end of the hallway all the light flickered to black. Stuck once more in blackness, a whooshing sound permeated the air, letting them know the door had been opened. Warily, they moved forward, stepping forward onto what felt like an unsteady platform, it almost seemed to sway underneath them.

"So you made it this far, you have my congratulations," said a voice from the darkness.

"Enough of the theatrics!" shouted the trainer, "I've been through far too much today, just show yourself!" The voice laughed, the noise echoing eerily throughout the darkness.

"Very true, I shall grant your request," the lights flared on, revealing the room in a blinding flash. In the light they were able to see why the floor seemed so unstable. It was a thin metal walkway held up by a series of cables connected to the ceiling. The path was hardly wide, only able to accommodate three people side by side if they walked closely together. Beneath the path, they could see only blackness, and endless fall. Standing at the end of the path was a tall smiling man, dressed in everyday clothing, his black hair flecked with gray.

"What...what are you doing here?" asked the trainer, completely taken aback.

"Aaron?" Tori whispered, taking a step back, but the door had shut and locked, they were trapped.

"Surprised? Good, that's what I was hoping for," the gym leader turned towards the trainer, "And I must say again, I am very pleased you made it this far."

"What are you talking about? I don't...I don't understand," muttered the trainer, his hand constantly moving toward and away from his Pokéballs. Aaron's smile never left his face.

"Very well, I shall explain," he relented, "I am the leader of The Organization, I have been working with them this entire time. All our plans were going fine, until you two showed up on our radar. You foiled our attempt to capture that Dusknoir, many of my agents wished to simply eliminate you, but I thought you could be useful."

"But why attack your own base? And Felix didn't recognize you!" Tori countered.

"That base was useless, the tests we did there were finished. And attacking with you cemented the trust I needed. As for Felix, no one knows what I look like, that's the whole point. After that it was simple. I waited a few days, then sent a call to know, saying I had from information that implicated Liliya as a member. Speaking of which, I'm not that surprised she's not here with you. She was always one for self sacrifice," Aaron's smile twisted at this, becoming a much more sinister sneer.

"Still, your plan didn't go perfectly, we managed to escape from that cell!" The trainer stated with triumph.

"Really? You escaped from a cell that, strangely, only had one guard with all your gear right next to it?" Aaron shook his head, "That was planned as well. I wanted to test your strength, see if you were still strong enough to escape. Your little group performed perfectly, escaping through the tunnels, Liliya throwing herself at the pursuit, and the battle with Cross at the end. I couldn't make it too easy for you."

"Easy?" exclaimed the trainer. Aaron carried on, ignoring him.

"And then after beating him, you were finally given the chance to escape, something you had promised to do in order to help Liliya if I remember correctly. But upon hearing that I might be here, you ignored it," the trainer narrowed his eyes in anger.

"Because I can stop you, here and now," he proclaimed, which only caused Aaron to laugh.

"And where did you get such an optimistic attitude?" Aaron chided, shaking his head at the trainer.

"Wait," interrupted Tori, hoping to keep Aaron talking, afraid that Aaron was right about being too strong. If she kept him talking, they might be able to find a way out, "What if hadn't come to you, what if we'd decided to leave?"

"Hum," murmured Aaron, as if this had never occurred to him, "I'd have been slightly disappointed, but I would have found you easily enough," he explained with a shrug.

"How could you hope to find us so easily?" Tori replied, looking around the room for a possible exit.

"The same way I tracked you to Liliya's gym, and the same way I tracked you through this base, your PokéNav," Tori pulled out the device in shock, quickly, she threw it to the ground, as if that could somehow undo the damage it had caused.

"Enough!" yelled the trainer, "so are we going to fight?"

"Of course," answered Aaron, a smug look on his face, "but not like this, you've grown too weak for a decent battle."

"What are you talking about?" questioned the trainer angrily, "I've beaten five gym leaders, all powerful opponents."

"You've beaten opponents you would have tossed aside in a moment before. You'd beaten Lisa on a previous occasion, Fawkes you humored by using a weaker Pokémon, Felix you were able to take down when he finally made you angry. As for the last two, Liliya and Cross, you never finished the fight with the first, and you cheated in the fight with the latter. The fact is, you have grown far weaker than you were when you climbed the mountain," as he talked he unhooked a Pokéball form his belt and began casually tossing it up into the air.

"You keep saying that I've grown 'weaker,' what do you mean by that?" the trainer asked, frustrated.

"You've grown afraid, ever since you got off of that mountain, you've been afraid. Just like you are now."

"I'm not afraid of you!" the trainer shouted back. Aaron's smile grew wider.

"It's not me you're afraid of...it's her," he caught the Pokéball again and nodded towards Tori.

"What?" both of them exclaimed.

"Ever since you began traveling with her you've been afraid, afraid that she would see you for what you were before. You've been holding yourself back," The trainer fell silent, but Tori stepped forward.

"You're wrong, I'm not afraid of what he was," she stated defiantly.

"Liar," Aaron retorted, "I saw you during his fight with Felix, you were terrified when he attacked him head on. He only stopped because of you," Tori had nothing to say to that.

"You've been trying to hide your anger, your hatred built up from years of hunting for your revenge. With that anger you climbed to the top if a mountain, you defeated a legendary Pokémon, but without it, you are nothing. So let's see if we can bring it back," without giving a chance for him to reply, Aaron p reached behind him and pulled a lever set into the wall. A panel lifted out of the wall, revealing a pane of glass, behind which sat a massive red egg, suspended by a series of cables and wires. The air around it seemed to radiate with an unnatural heat.

"That's...the egg..." the trainer managed to get out, his eyes completely focused on the object in front of him.

"Yes, the egg of Moltres, the legendary bird of fire," Aaron mused.

"You're the one that took it...all those years ago...why?" the blood seemed to drain from the trainer's face, his eyes refused to move from the vision in front of him.

"Power," he stated simply, "we were not strong enough to capture the parent, but with the egg we had a chance of possibly gaining one through hatching...or cloning."

"Then...all of those tanks outside," Tori realized.

"All failed experiments, none of them live long past the cloning process. But we are close, very close," Aaron explained.

"Enough!" The trainer yelled, his face sickly pale, "It was you, it was always you. You caused everything! You're the reason my home was destroyed, my family killed...I'll kill you!" With that scream he opened a Pokéball, releasing Hitmonlee.

"See how quickly he falls?" Aaron asked, and Tori knew he was talking to her, "I bet you thought you were special, that you had saved him, but you were wrong," as he talked he opened his own Pokéball, revealing a dinosaur-like Pokémon, an empty pouch on its stomach.

"Kangaskhan, Mega Punch,"Aaron commanded. His Pokémon rushed forward, energy gather around its fist. As it swung, Hitmonlee managed to dart out of the way, ending up behind the powerful Pokemon.

"Don't hold back, Hi Jump Kick!" Hitmonlee obeyed, leaping into the air and bringing its leg slamming down onto Kangaskhan's head. As Hitmonlee landed after the attack, Kangaskhan straightened itself up after the attack, seemingly unfazed.

"I though you're Pokémon were stronger than that...ah well. Another Mega Punch Kangaskhan!" Aaron's Pokémon charged forward again, but Hitmonlee managed to jump out of the way again. Kangaskhan's fist collided with the walkway, the force of the attack making it sway unsteadily.

The trainer, all his focus on the battle, saw his chance. Hitmonlee had switched places with Aaron's Kangaskhan. He could attack Aaron, take him out of commission, with no trainer, the fight would be decided.

"Hitmonlee, attack-" he stopped as he heard something behind him. Quickly turned he saw Tori, and it seemed like she was yelling at him, how long had she been doing that? So focused on the fight, he couldn't understand what she was saying, but there was one thing he noticed.

The look of terror and sadness etched across her face. She was afraid.

"Attack Kangaskhan, Brick Break!" Hitmonlee delivered another powerful attack to its opponent, but it still barely reacted.

"Not enough, you're still not giving enough," Aaron lectured, "Finish your enemy, Hyper Beam," Hitmonlee couldn't escape this time, and the blast of energy lifted it off the ground and sending it flying past Aaron, only stopping when it slammed into the handrail on the edges of the walkway. Quickly returning his downed Hitmonlee, the trainer reached down to his belt for another Pokémon. Scyther was still too injured from the battle with Liliya, and Houndoom was barely any better. That only left Banette.

He sent out the ghost Pokémon, hoping it would give him some time to think with it's immunity to normal type moves. Aaron didn't even pause.

"A delaying tactic? Now that's not like you at all, and it won't do you any good. Kangaskhan, Crunch," before Banette had a chance to act, Kangaskhan attacked, grabbing Banette's frail body and crunching it between its jaws. Banette was defeated, the trainer only had one more Pokémon.

Houndoom followed as Banette was returned, though it was barely standing and looked pathetic next to the still powerful Kangaskhan.

"I thought you would put up a better fight than this," muttered Aaron.

"Shut up!" screamed the trainer, "I'm throwing everything I have at you!"

"No, you're not, something is holding you back..." he eyes flicked past the trainer, and he smiled with realization, "I see. Some part of you still thinks you can be redeemed, saved from what you were...I'm going to take that from you. Hyper Beam," Kangaskhan opened its mouth and released another beam of energy. Seeing the attack come towards him, he thought it was over.

He closed his eyes.

But he felt nothing, opening his eyes he looked around, he was still okay, Houndoom was still standing, had Aaron...missed?

Suddenly, a scream of terror reached him, seeming to cut through his entire body. Turning around he saw what the attack had been aimed at. Part of the walkway had been torn away, it wasn't even that large of a piece, but with no place to steady your feet, no rail to place your hand, there was little choice except to fall. All he could see was Tori's hand, barely hanging onto the edge of the walkway, and it was slipping.

Seeing no other option, he ran forward, diving and grabbing her hand right as it slipped over the edge. Lying on the metal, the jagged edge of the broken area digging into his chest, the trainer realized that he wasn't strong enough to pull her up. The metal was too smooth for him to get a purchase, and the nearby handrail had been torn away by the blast. He began to slide too, Tori's weight was pulling him over with her. Houndoom ran forward in an attempt to help its master, but Kangaskhan stopped it, knocking it out with a powerful blow to the head.

"I'm not letting you go!" the trainer shouted as he felt himself slide further and further. He gritted his teeth in pain, the injuries from his fight with Cross weren't making this any easier.

"I know," whispered Tori, tears in her eyes, knowing the futility of the situation. The trainer tried to grab her with his other hand, but even that would have done nothing. Watching him fight the inevitable, Tori came to a decision.

She released her hand.

The trainer squeezed tighter, trying to stop her from falling, but it was futile, her fingers slipped out of his hand, and she fell.

Looking up, Tori saw the anguish in his face, but she was happy, because he would live, at least a little longer. Watching him grow smaller and smaller, Tori couldn't stop the fear from growing in her chest. How long would she fall? Would it hurt...to die? Would there be anything afterwords? Finally, with one last look at the trainer, now so far away, she closed her eyes.

And saw only blackness.


End file.
